The queen of drums, the tabla, was never too far from the fiery hands of renowned tabla player, Pandit Chatur Lal. He took it everywhere. In the case of its rare absence, his knees would make for a good substitute. But the tuneful dha dhin ga ka na was never heard again after his sudden demise in 1965. Years later, his fervour is being remembered through Amar Jyoti, an Indian classical music concert series. It celebrates the 90th birth anniversary of Pandit Lal and also marks the completion of Pt. Chaturlal Memorial Society’s 25 years in the field of promotion of Indian classical music.
Dedications will come from an eclectic mix of artistes like Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash (sarod), Vaijyantimala Bali (bharatnatyam), Garima Arya (kathak), Nathalie Ramirez (flute), Mehtab Ali Niazi (sitar), Danish Ali Khan (violin) and Naman Sharma (keyboards).
Pt Lal was the man who introduced the concept of taal vadya kacheri, an amalgamation of Northern and Southern Indian drums. He was also one of the first to introduce Indian classical music to the West in mid-50s. “In his time, it was very difficult for a percussionist, who was an accompanist to the main artist, to make a mark for himself, especially when taking music to the West. Even then, Pt Lal became the first Indian to make a solo tabla LP record,” says Pranshu Chatur Lal, the grandson of the famed tabla player.
Hear his old records and you’ll find them rendered in utmost sincerity. “He would practice all the time, sometimes even taking out muffled sounds while brushing or bathing. Interestingly, he would always reserve the upper-most berth in a train, take his tabla out and practice,” says Pranshu.
Not just the grandchildren, the society in the artiste’s name too is keeping his ideology alive by collaborating with other musicians, among other initiatives. “We will launch Pandit Chatur Lal Music Library soon, that will comprise some of his rare records. We’re also working to build Pandit Chatur Lal Foundation at his place of birth, Udaipur in Rajasthan, which will be a home for all the creative arts,” says Pranshu.
Had his grandfather been around to see all these efforts, he would surely have beamed with pride.
August 10, at Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg at 7 pm.