ॐI woke up in Allahabad the 18th of January, early morning, in the famous train Prayagraj Express, wich let me sleep, almost better than those few days staying in New Delhi. After 2h rickshaw turning around and around for a place to just let my things and discober this non turistic city called Allahabad (pronounced Eelaabad).
(Left to right:Nishant Mallick, Guruma, Priyanka Mallick, Prem Kumar Mallick, Rani, Peter Phannke, Lisa, Joel, boy in the boat; going for a bath on the Ganga riber, Allahabad.)
Just let my things in this room and asked to hostel manager what things would be interesting for me to see here. I was having 1 day or more by my own before meeting Prem Kumar Mallick, so I let my own on adventure to Sangam, and the Ford. Sangam is where a Mag Mela is taking place during one month every year: So a huge splanade of more than 20.000 people camping there (being the bigest camping in the world) next to the meeting point of the Yamuna and Ganga rivers. This holy place goes on with pooja (praings to god), all day; is a completly devotional place, full of swamis, an spiritual hinduist seekers. There I got blessed by a Baba for a turist price, and got my first lesson on repeating this holy words he was saying. I also got a more extended meaning of the word Nadi (Naadi) that is a channel, but also can be a riber, as well as the meridians (in acupunture).
So after a couple of calls Prem Kumar arrived to Allahabad, coming from a program from Calcutta। Those days were so foggi, as usual in this period of the year, that trains were taking big delays; so the 19th in late afternoon. After meeting Pryanka (Prem's daughter), and Guruma (Guruji's -Prem- wife), and Rani (studient), I let my few things in a nice room, in Mallick's house, and took the first vocal class in Dhrupad singing, straight away.
SA RE GA MA PA DA NI, would be my main words in the next three week's, that I already knew. So I was begining with this old and beautiful (and not easy) raag (indian composition), where all the notes are sudha (natural) but MA (the fouth) is tivra (FA#): this is an evening raag, called Yaman (belonging to the group of Kalian thaat). In one hour I got the Alaap (that is the part that introduces all the pitches that will appear, very slowly -it can take 30 minutes or more). And then the composition (in Chautaal, 12 beats rithm) where, in some phrases, the devotional song is sung. Just poetry to the ears and spirit, in a close relation of the roots of our culture. So the learning must go, as far as I realized, in 3 diferent directions: the music (melody and rithm), lenguage (understanding, and pronounciating), and culture.
Life became easy in this house, very fast. Mallick's family come from a very old garana tradition (13 generation) and they love teching, and they know how to do it. Apart from their musical knowlege from Dharganga Garana (their own family tradition), they give us this great traditional indian food, wich guruma is all they preparing with the help of Pryanka and some students in the kitchen, also (like Lisa, the wife of Peter Phannke). Like in an ashram, we share house, food, cultures and art, that is going on all time. Just some days in the house, and I went to a recording session to play tampura (drone string instrument for acompaniament indian classical music) in the local radio of Allahabad, with both Mallick's sons Nishant and Prashant.
This house is more like an ashram than a common house. Seven days a week, students of all ages are coming to recive their lessons, from morning to late afternoon. As Guruji is teaching in the University of Allahabad he needs to take care of the well musical developement of them all. And also we (the students living with them), and some family visitors, and friends that may stay for some days. Is a 3 bed room house, one living room, one kitchen, and one room for the music, and I might have seen 100 diferent persons here in 10 days, couning students, family, long distance visitors from all over the world, some old students from Guruji's Father, and press.
Dayly life in Allahabad
30 Jan. 7:15, AM, Purnima (full moon).
The soud of the train reaching the city does not disturb the singing birds surrounding the house...
Again with the rising sun the electronic tampura wake's up the house, with Guruji's voice, and every one in the house hears the calling to get together downstairs, in the smallest room of the house to wake up the voice, while the txai (tea) is geting ready: This is in both ways to get worm and to get together (wich indians just love -that's why this country is so crowded). Here the strechings are for the voice, and some morning raag, like Gurkuly or
Bhairav, will be played.
After breakfast, some exercices in the rooftop, cleaning the house, or whatever is needed, while the students begin to come for their practice.
So Music keep's on, as well as preparing the food, the morning pooja, and all daily ritual, but today, with the special energy of the Purnima.
In the end of the day, after some shoping in the comercial area, we reach Hanuman temple, get some prasats and give more make more pooja.
Prem Kumar Mallick (Vocalist), at Achcha Ashram.
Samit Mallick (tabla). Priyanka Mallick (singing), Joel Olive (tampura), Prem Kumar Mallick (Vocal & harmonium), Mallick's Blessing's concert at Achcha Ashram, Allahabad (1st. February).
Nishant, Joel, Samit.
Text by Joel Olive'
Photos by Rani (I'll upload them in 2 weeks, now I don't have a good conection...)
The Mallick Family and the Dharbanga Garana
by Peter Phannke
The Mallick Family is the leading representative of the court music tradition of Darbhanga, a former state in the north-eastern corner of India, close to the Nepalese border. They trace their line to the singers Radhakrishna and Kartaram who appeared at the court around 1785 and made a name for themselves by averting a drought by singing of the magical rain Raga Megh. Maharaja Madhav Singh of Darbhanga granted them the title Mallik - landowner - and awarded them two villages and the surrounding landed property, which the family owns up to the present day. They served at the court until 1947. After the death of Pt. Ram Chatur Mallik, the last court singer, in 1990, and Pt. Vidur Mallik in 2002, Pt. Premkumar Mallick is the leading musician in the family. The Malliks are famous all over India for a very rhythmically elaborated interpretation of Dhrupad. Except for Dhrupad and Dhamar compositions - of which they possess an unparalleled stock - they are also known for their exposition of Khyal, Taranas, Ghazals, Bhajans and songs of the medieval poet Vidyapati in Thumri style. Premkumar and Rashmi Mallik’s sons Prashant (27) and Nishant (21) have been awarded Gold Medals in the All India Radio Music Competition in the field of Dhrupad & Dhamar, whereas daughter Priyanka (23), who gave her first concert at the age of 7, is excelling in Khyal.
In Europe, they appeared first in 1983 in the European Dhrupad Mela organized by world music specialist Peter Pannke, who has lived with the Mallik family in India for many years. In 1992 they took part in the Parampara! Festival in Berlin. The 1993 European tour climaxed in the opening concert of the New Jazz Festival Moers, in 1994 they appeared at the legendary BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall in London. Since then they have performed regularly all over Europe and in America.
More info: http://www.premkumarmallick.com/
