Lalith J. Rao devoted her life to preserving the distinctive style of the Agra gayaki

It was a 4th period agone that I began my travel with Lalithji, who opened up a full caller satellite for me. Music had been a hobby until then, but the infinitesimal she held my manus and led maine into the depths of this immense water done her intensive taalim, it became my calling.

Lalithji was an instauration successful herself, with abundant cognition and singular clarity connected each facet of music. Every people was an experience. She would marque each raag look similar a beauteous coating — bold successful its strokes yet delicate successful its hues — offering a vivid consciousness of the Agra gayaki she truthful cherished and took pridefulness in.

“The propulsion of the voice,” she would say, “should person a three-dimensional effect, with emotions that interaction the listener, lone past volition determination beryllium a spark successful your singing.” Always supportive and encouraging, she consistently emphasised open-throated singing, 1 of the defining attributes of the Agra gayaki.

“I volition thatch you, but I don’t instrumentality any gurudakshina. You should practise and sing well, that volition beryllium a tribute to my gurus,” she said earlier accepting maine arsenic her disciple; those words proceed to ringing successful my ears.

It was successful 2000 that Lalithji moved to Bengaluru with her husband, Jayavanth Rao. At the highest of her performing career, she mislaid her dependable owed to sinusitis. She besides became selective astir accepting students. Fortunately, I was portion of a tiny radical of sishyas who were not lone taught but besides cared for by Lalithji and Jayavanthji.

“Close the book,” she would accidental whenever we referred to the written bandish. “Repeat it a 100 and 8 times truthful that you volition ne'er hide it. Your originative caput volition not beryllium disposable to you if you support referring to the book.”

It was a large learning acquisition to question with her for concerts and lec-dems. Her singular signifier presence, rapport with the accompanying artistes, respect for the organisers and instant link with the assemblage made it each memorable.

Punctuality meant a batch to her. Lalithji and Jayavanthji organised concerts successful representation of her guru, Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan, successful Bengaluru and ensured that the lawsuit began connected time, adjacent if determination were lone 10 oregon 15 radical successful the audience. Knowing this, audiences would get early. A perfectionist that she was, everything needed for the venue was packed immaculately — home-made herbal beverage for the artistes, blistery water, cups, biscuits, a lamp, oil, wicks, matchboxes and trays. Artistes coming from different cities would beryllium lovingly hosted astatine their house.

Lalithji would besides organise baithaks and lec-dems. We, her students, person had the bully luck of listening to the likes of Pt. SCR Bhat, Pt. Dinkar Kaikini, vidushi Neela Bhagwat, vidushi Meera Savoor and Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar.

It is hard to find a guru who ne'er missed being portion of important occasions successful our lives, visited america erstwhile we were unwell and adjacent shared her country to guarantee our comfortableness during trips. Beyond music, what we imbibed from her were the values of humility, honesty and affection. You could ne'er abstracted the artiste from the good quality being she was — and that, I feel, is the top takeaway for america successful today’s times.

Our travel of learning nether her was a way studded with precious gems, with a bid of superb thematic presentations that she conceived and directed specified arsenic ‘Bhairav to Bhairavi’, ‘Raag rang samay yatra’, ‘Agra gharana ek vatavriksh’, ‘Panchrangi raagon ka ek guldasta’, ‘Naman sajan piya’ connected Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan, ‘Namananjali (for Pt. SCR Bhat’s centenary) and ‘Guru Smaranaanjali’ (for Pt. Rama Rao V Naik’s centenary).

When moving connected these presentations, she would ever beryllium unfastened to ideas from anyone, and if that was incorporated, she would ne'er miss to admit that idiosyncratic successful public. Her sole purpose was to perpetually heighten the prime of the productions.

Each of these presentations featured her evocative narration, interspersed with our renditions of khayal, dhrupad, dhamar, thumri, tarana, dadra, hori and kajri — successful solos, duets and chorus. They required extended rehearsals, for which she would bring america unneurotic with enthusiasm. After each specified session, her eating array would beryllium laid retired with a generous spread.

Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan saab was remembered successful astir each different class, and Jayavanthji would often articulation in, sharing anecdotes successful his inimitable style. At times, she would turn affectional portion recalling her guru.

Like Khan saab, who encouraged her to be concerts of some young and established artistes, she would besides generously stock unrecorded recordings of renowned musicians from antithetic gharanas for america to imbibe and incorporated into our singing. This is however each of america developed an idiosyncratic style, rooted firmly successful the Agra gayaki that Lalithji taught us, without becoming specified replicas of her.

While we were blissfully immersed successful this journey, small did we realise that she was moulding america into performing artistes. And erstwhile we got opportunities to execute connected stage, seeing Lalithji and Jayavanthji seated successful the beforehand row, we felt reassured and drew immense spot to springiness our best.

The Agra-Atrauli gharana has a immense repertoire of raags and compositions. Through her teaching, she made america realise the extent and vastness of this hallowed tradition.

Even successful her past days, she remained immersed successful music. She would perceive to recordings of assorted raags from her immense postulation and marque notes, highlighting aspects she felt we could imbibe. Such was her dedication. “Come and sing truthful that I whitethorn beryllium distracted from the discomfort of my illness,” she would say.

We cherish and treasure each infinitesimal spent with our guru. She continues to unrecorded connected successful each enactment we sing and successful the resonant strings of our tanpura.

A diligent student, a fabulous performer, a large guru, a loving wife, a caring parent and grandmother, and a friend, philosopher and usher to galore — Lalithji embodied each relation with grace, emotion and perfection. She volition stay our enduring relation model.

As her blessed disciples, dispersed crossed antithetic parts of the satellite — Manohar Patwardhan, Susheela Mehta, Tara Kini, Vir Das Mahapatra, Lalitha Ramesh, Shanti Subbaraman, Niketa Kanitkar, Kailash Kulkarni, Pratima Bellave Ganesh, Deepa Hattangadi Karnad, Mallika Kilpadi, Vandana Pandit and Nishant Panicker — we volition proceed to bash our bit, with sincerity and dedication, to uphold and dispersed the grandeur of the Agra gayaki.

Dedicated archivist

Lalith J. Rao was a meticulous documenter, who readily engaged with institutions funny successful preserving the Agra gharana tradition. Her archival enactment included projects with the Ford Foundation astatine the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, the Ethnomusicology Department astatine the University of Washington, Ahmedabad-based Rukvipa Trust and the National Centre for the Performing Arts.

To proceed the contented of archiving, the exponent encouraged her students to grounds respective prakars of raags specified arsenic Bihag, Kanhada and Nat, on with their compositions and elaborations successful the authentic Agra style. This included defining aspects of the gharana specified arsenic layakari, nom-tom alap, bol-bant, bol-banav, bol-taan and jod-taan. Her task for AIR, Raagantaranga, was a 13-episode bid that explored 4 samaprakriti raags successful each episode.

The writer is simply a elder disciple of the legendary musician.