| ‘Banaras is older than history, older than tradition, | | | | known name in the field of Vichitra Veena who is |
| older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of | | | | known for his scintillating renditions on such a tough |
| them put together…’-Mark Twain. | | | | instrument. Carrying on his Parampara, his son, Late Dr. |
| Sitting atop the trident of Lord Shiva , the Kashi, the | | | | Gopal Shankar Mishra and Pof. Pushpa Basu are |
| luminous one, is the place where the eternal light of | | | | musicians of great repute. |
| Shiva intersects the earth. The city of Shiva, the | | | | Varanasi has a rich tradition of String Instuments of |
| Mahashmashaana, the sacred circle of all Gods, city of | | | | which Sarangi is one. Among the Sarangi players of |
| Moksha- a place teeming with people, yet there is | | | | Varanasi, Tamakhu Mishra has been a signature. He |
| place for everyone. A civilization that historians have | | | | was not much into limelight and performative glamour. |
| termed as one older than history, yet startles you | | | | Other Sarangi players who made Varanasi proud of |
| when you come across its modern face | | | | themselves are Sumernath Mishra, Sursahay Mishra, |
| By virtue of being the oldest living city, Benaras has its | | | | Kashinath Kinnar, Siya Ji, Birayi Ji, Sheetal Mishra, to |
| own rich history, tradition and treasure of music. | | | | name a few. Late Pt. Hanuman Prasad Mishra, father |
| According to mythology, when Renu, son of | | | | of the world renowned vocalists Pt. Rajan - Pt. Sajan |
| Vishwamitra and Mahagovind founded Kashi | | | | Mishra was an artist of great repute. |
| (Varanasi), they also brought with them the Aryan | | | | Among the Guitarists of Varanasi, Sri Shibnath |
| traditions and the Vedic culture. Going back to history, | | | | Bhattacharya (disciple of Late Pt. Nalin Mazumdar of |
| we find numerous instances of dance, music and | | | | Allahabad who was the first to play Indian Classical |
| drama evolving in Varanasi. Excavations at Varanasi | | | | Muisc on Hawaiian Guitar), Sri Gopal Das, Dr.Sanjay |
| have shown a terracotta figurine in which two | | | | Verma , Dr.S.Kamala are known figures in this field. |
| musicians are playing percussion instruments. The | | | | Bharatratna Late Ustad Bismilla Khan Sahab, a |
| literature of ancient and medieval times also point out | | | | synonym of Shehnai is the most revered and noted |
| to a great tradition of music in Varanasi as in 14th | | | | name in the field of Wind Instruments. Vilayatu Miyan |
| century’s drama ‘Vikrant Kauravam’. The | | | | had been a great artist of this field and caryying on this |
| ‘Bhakti’ movement in the medieval period also | | | | tradition were Ali Baksh and Samsuddin Khan and |
| contributed to the development of music in Varanasi. | | | | finally Shehnai was taken to its heights by Bismilla Khan |
| ‘Jataka’ tales narrate the storyeof Veena | | | | Sahab. In the present days we have Sri Ramashahkar |
| competition in the ‘Sudarshan’ city. | | | | , Sri Sohanlal who have taken the instrument ,which is |
| Ashwaghosh in his famous work | | | | almost a synonym of Hindu marriage, to its heights. |
| ‘Sunderananda’ describes Ganikaas of Kashi. In | | | | Also, the flautists who have made Varanasi proud of |
| the 16th century Govind Chandra ruled Varanasi and | | | | themselves are Sri. R.K.Srinivasan, Dr.Prahlad Nath, to |
| during his rein Dhrupad was the royal music. It is said | | | | name a few. |
| that Mian Tansen took birth in Varanasi. Texts say that | | | | Varanasi has been a confluence of musical genres. |
| Jaffar Khan, descendant of Bilas Khan (youngest son | | | | Not only North Indian Classical music but Karnatak |
| of Tansen), invented the instrument | | | | music has been flourishing here too. Way back in 1964 |
| ‘Sursingaar’- lower part of which was made of | | | | Late Pt. V.K. Venkatramanujam, a violinist of great |
| hollow wood and steel plates were set in the upper | | | | repute came to Varanasi and thus started the flow of |
| part and the strings used were made of steel and | | | | Karnatak Music. Another stalwart violinist from South, |
| brass, and gave his first demonstration of this | | | | Dr. ( Smt.) N. Rajam ( disciple of ‘Sangeet |
| instrument in the court of Raja Udit Narayan Singh of | | | | Martand’ Pt. Omkar Nath Thakr) stayed for a long |
| Kashi. | | | | time in Varanasi and headed the Faculty of |
| Varanasi, the seat of learning, virtually reverberates | | | | Performing Arts,B.H.U., as the Dean. Her renditions are |
| with the chants of Vedic hymns that are said to be | | | | of the Norh Indian style. |
| the oldest genre of musical form. Dixitar (1776-1835), | | | | The tradition of Instrumental music in Varanasi has |
| whose signature is Guru Guha-the most recent of the | | | | gone through various phases. Many a noted musicians |
| trinity of Karnatak music, is said to have studied | | | | have remarkably made Varanasi proud, bringing home |
| Dhrupad in Varanasi. Of more recent times, Sitar | | | | laurels. Some noted instrumentalists of recent times |
| maestro Bharatratna Pt. Ravi Shankar was born in | | | | are Late Dr Ramdas Chakraborty, Pt. Surendra Mohan |
| Varanasi on 7th April 1920. Music is an integral part of | | | | Mishra, Dr. Rajbhaan Singh, Pt.Amarnath Mishra, Prof. |
| this city of Natraj. The city has credit of producing | | | | Krishna Chakraborty (all Sitar) ; Prof. R.P. Shastri, Dr. V. |
| several music virtuosos liked legendary Late Pt. | | | | Balaji, Dr. (Smt.) Jayashree Roy,Sri Sukhdev Mishra, |
| Anokhelal Mishra, Late Bari Moti, Late Pt. Mahadev | | | | U.H.R. Pradeep, Dr. Swarna Khuntia Sri Vijay Choubey |
| Prasad Mishra, Bharatratna Late Ustad Bismilla Khan, | | | | (all Violin) ; Sri Santosh Mishra, Sri Kanhaiyalal Mishra, |
| Padmavibhushan Late Pt Kishan Maharaj, Vidushi Girija | | | | Sri Sangeet Mishra, Sri Sandeep Mishra( Sarangi) ; Dr. |
| Devi, Pt.Chhannulal Mishra, Vidushi Purnima Chowdhury, | | | | S. Kamala, Dr. Sanjay Verma (Guitar) ; Sri Rajesh |
| Pt.Rajan Sajan Mishra, Pt. Balwant Rai | | | | Moitra, Sri Vibhas Maharaj (Sarod). |
| Bhatt"Bhavrang", to name a few. Varanasi, the cultural | | | | The style of performance as compared to the |
| capital of India, has always possessed a central | | | | ‘Chaindaari’ of yester-years has changed a lot. |
| position not only in the sphere of Indian Classical Vocal | | | | The present day performances are comparatively in a |
| scenario but also has contributed much to the field | | | | faster pace with not much peace of mind and soul, |
| of Instrumental Music. Among the pioneers of | | | | which fulfils the demands of a commercialized society. |
| Instrumentalists of Varanasi, the most revered and | | | | This is what is the symptom of the ‘Pop’- or |
| noted name is that of Pt. Laxmi Prasad Mishra. His | | | | rather the ‘Popular’ culture. By the impact of a |
| descendants and disciples gave a wide platform to | | | | Globalized market, improvisations in the built of the |
| Stringed Instruments. | | | | Musical Instruments has been carried out for the |
| ‘Sangeet Nayak’ Pt. Dargahi Mishra, a stalwart | | | | betterment of performances by the musicians of |
| amongst musicians, played a vital part in promoting | | | | Varanasi. Artists like Dr. Vishnuchittan Balaji has |
| Stringed Instruments by producing disciples in the fields | | | | designed a Violin which has eleven strings and this |
| of Veena, Sarangi, and Sitar. His two sons, Sarayu | | | | Volin has been named “Bala Bela” by |
| Prasad Mishra and Govardhan Prasad Mishra were | | | | Padmavibhushan Late Pt. Kishan Maharaj. Dr. V. Balaji |
| well known artists in the field of vocal and Sarangi. | | | | has designed another Violin which has twenty-five |
| Mithailal Mishra was an acclaimed artist in the field of | | | | string and has named it “Triveni Bela”. He is now |
| Veena and vocal. Musicians like Chote Ramdas Mishra | | | | working on a new set-up of a violin that has two |
| (Veena), Pannalal Sharma (Veena, Surbahaar, Sitar), | | | | necks in a body. Another technical improvisation that |
| Shivprasad (Vocal, Sitar, Mridang), Kanta Nath Vyaas | | | | has been done by Dr. Sanjay Verma is that he has |
| (Veena) and Srichand Mishra (Vocal, Sitar) played an | | | | attached the ‘Daand’ of Tanpura to his guitar. |
| important role towards the upliftment of Stringed | | | | Dr. S. Kamala has also made improvements in her |
| Instruments in Varanasi. Amongst the string | | | | Guitar by adding strings and has named it Shankar |
| instrumentalists of Varanasi, Ustad Vaaris Ali was a | | | | Guitar. As per the rendition on Guitar, the Guitarists |
| huge personality and following his tradition were Ustad | | | | have evolved the style of playing Chotakhyaal instead |
| Ashiq Ali, Ustad Mushtaq Ali. Pt. Debu Choudhury of | | | | of the age-old Razakhani Gat and is accepted well. |
| Delhi, disciple of Mushtaq Ali Khan, is a world renowned | | | | Violinists like Prof. R.P. Shastri and his disciple Dr. (Smt.) |
| artist carrying forward the ‘parampara’ of his | | | | Jayashree Roy present their recital with a blend of |
| Guru. Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma too is related to the | | | | Tantrakaari and Gaayaki Anga. |
| Banaras Parampara. | | | | The changes that have been adapted in the built of |
| Legendary musician Baba Alauddin Khan Sahab’s | | | | various instruments have changed the tonal quality, |
| disciples Pt. Ravi Shankar and Pt. Jyotin Bhattacharya | | | | which is more pleasing than of the yester-years and |
| (Sarod) are related to Varanasi. Pt. Ravi Shankar, as | | | | these changes brought in by the instrumentalists of |
| already mentioned, was born in Varanasi and Pt. Jyotin | | | | Varanasi have been acclaimed all over the world and |
| Bhattacharya resides with his family in Varanasi. | | | | has taken instrumental music to its heights. |
| Renowned musician Late Pt. Lalmani Mishra is a well | | | | |