Saturday, September 10, 2011

Dr. Aban Mistry........डा अबन मिस्त्री


Dr. Aban Mistry 
India's first woman tabla player



डा अबन मिस्त्री
भारत की पहली महिला तबला वादक


कही तबला बज रहा हो और आपकी आँखे बंद हो तो तबला के नाम लेते ही दिमाग में अक्सर एक ऐसी मर्दाना छवि बनेगी जिसमे बहुत उर्जा होगी. जिसके हाथ बहुत तेजी से तबले पर चल रहे होंगे . पर जैसे आप आँख खोले और सामने एक महिला को तबला बजाते हुए देखे तो आप क्या सोचेंगे और कहेंगे.शायद सपन सा ही लगे पर डा अबन मिस्त्री ने इसे हकीकत बना दिया हैं उनसठ वर्षीय तबला वादक मिस्त्री भारत की पहली महिला तबला वादकों में से एक हैं।


डा अबन मिस्त्री के लिए कितना मुश्किल रहा होगा यह सफर यह कोई भी इस बात से आसानी से समझ सकता हैं कि आज की महिलायों के सामने तो डा अबन मिस्त्री एक उधारण हैं पर उनके सामने तो कोई भी ऐसा उधारण नहीं था पर उन्होंने भी ठान लिया था इसलिए उन्होंने भारतीय पुरातत्व विभाग के दफ्तर से भी जानकारी प्राप्त करने की कोशिश की.तब कही जाकर उन्हे २२०० साल पुराना एक चित्र महाराष्ट्र की भाज गुफा की दीवार पर देखने को मिला जिसमे एक महिला टेबल जैसा एक वाद्य यंत्र बजा रही थी, फिर क्या था उन्हे अपना प्रेरणा स्त्रोत मिल गया था और उन्होंने तबला सीखना शुरू कर दिया |

भारत जैसे देश में जहां महिलाओं में शायद ही कोई ड्रम बजाती हो वहा , तबले को अपनाना और उसमे उपलब्धि हासिल करना अपने आप में एक बहुत बड़ी बात है . डा अबन मिस्त्री को संगीत जगत में अपनी पहचान बनाने के लिए कड़ा संघर्ष करना पड़ा। वह कहती हैं कि 'लोगों की मानसिकता बदलना बहुत मुश्किल है। कई बार ऐसा भी हुआ कि जब किसी ने सुना कि तबला मैं बजाऊंगी तो उसने कहा 'लड़की हो कर भी अच्छा बजाती है।'

जब मैंने कैरियर शुरू किया था तब एक ऐसा समय भी था जब लोग विशेष रूप से पुरुष मेरे संगीत को सुनने की जगह मुझे देखने आते थे क्योकि उन्हें विश्वास ही नहीं होता था कि कोई स्त्री भी तबला बजा सकती हैं ये 1950 के दशक की बात है.
डा अबन मिस्त्री बताती हैं कि 'पुरुष प्रधान क्षेत्र में कलाकार आसानी से स्वीकार नहीं करते कि तबले पर कोई महिला कलाकार संगत करे। वास्तविकता यह है कि पुरुष कलाकार महिला कलाकारों के साथ संगत करना अपनी प्रतिष्ठा के खिलाफ समझते थे यहाँ तक की महिला कलाकार भी मुझ पर विश्वास नहीं करती थी ना ही मुझे गंभीरता से लेती थी

तब मैंने अपने को और मजबूत करने और स्थापित करने और इस तरह की बाधाओं से पार जाने का फैसला किया.इसके लिए मुझे बस यही सिद्ध करना था कि मै एक अच्छी तबला वादक हूँ इसके लिए मैंने अपने तबले के संगीत का एक ‘रिकॉर्ड’ बनवाया . यह भी किसी महिला के द्वारा भारत में पहली बार किया गया कार्य था.

डॉ. मिस्त्री सितार भी अच्छा बजाती है,. कथक नृत्य उनका पसंदीदा शौक है , लेकिन खराब स्वास्थ्य के कारण इसमें समय नही दे पाती . उन्होंने पंडित लक्ष्मणराव बोदास से गायन भी सीखा है.

आज, लगभग पांच दशकों के प्रदर्शन के बाद, डॉ. मिस्त्री छात्रों को सीखने में व्यस्त रहती है. उनके कई छात्रो ने अब एक तबला वादक के रूप में उसे अपनी जगह बना ली है.

Dr. Aban Mistry

Speak of the tabla, and the mind conjures up images of vigorous beats and ustads playing with enormous energy. Images mostly masculine. And truth is, there are very few women who have mastered the instrument.

Meet Dr Aban Mistry. She is India's first woman tabla player. Her book on the tabla and the pakhawaj took her ten years to research, and experts say it will remain an invaluable reference book for generations of students.

The first thing Dr Mistry will tell you is that the tabla was not introduced by Amir Khusro in the 17th century, as is popularly believed. She believes it has been around for at least 2,200 years.

"I went through hundreds of papers at the Archaeological Survey of India, and even in government offices of small towns all over the country," says Dr Mistry. She also travelled all over the country with guru Pandit Keki Jijina. "There were times I've had to sleep in temples and even on the streets," she says.

A 2,200 year-old motif on the stone wall at Bhaja caves in Maharashtra, which shows a woman playing an instrument similar to the tabla, convinced her that the instrument has been around a long time. And that it was not just men who excelled at it.

The tabla became popular after the khayal style of singing gained popularity. Khayal is the most popular classical form in Hindustani music today. The tabla replaced the pakhawaj, which was popular with the dhrupad singers; the deep sonorous sound of the pakhawaj gave way to the lighter tone of the tabla.

But in a country where women hardly play any drums, taking up the tabla and living by it is quite a feat.

"There was a time when people, especially men, came to my concerts to see me rather than listen to me," recollects the 59-year-old musician who began her career in the early 1950s.

"Even women singers refused to take me as an accompanist because they would not trust me. No one took me seriously."
So she decided to get around the hurdles.

"I just had to prove that I was a good musician," she says. And in 1973, she cut her first tabla record, becoming the first woman ever to do so.
The idea of her book, which contains detailed information about all six tabla gharanas, and also their family trees, came up when she decided to write her doctoral thesis. In 1984, she had published Tabla aur phakhawaj ke gharane evam paramparayen in Hindi.

A tabla maestro to whom music is not only a potent stimulant for mortal existence, but the very breath of her life, Dr. Aban Mistry has scaled glorious heights as a celebrated musicologist.
Her debut in the Indian classical music began with vocal at the tender age of four with initial training from her aunt, late Mehroo Working boxwalla, followed by further training from Pt. Laxmanrao Bodas for a period of thirty long years. Around the same time, Pt. Jaisukhlal Shah offered to groom this nubile prodigy under his dexterous wings. During this period, Aban received her Sangeet Visharad, Sangeet Alankar, and Sangeet Praveen (Ph.D.) degrees.

Thoroughly imbued with the intricacies and nuances of tabla by the age of 17, Aban infused in her style, the creative aspects of all four gharanas - Delhi, Faroukhabad, Azradabad and Benaras - to evolve her pristine originality. She then mastered the concepts and techniques of Pakhawaj from the illustrious Pt. Narayanrao Mangal-vedhekar, which is consistently being augmented to this day by her guru Pt. Keki Jijina.
Moreover, Dr. Aban Mistry had the distinction of being conferred with coveted titles such as Taal Mani of Sur Singar Samsad, Sangeet Setu by S.M.V. sagar, Sangeet Kala Ratna by Sangeet Kala Kendra, Agra, etc.
As the first woman tabla player, Aban has been listed in the Limca Book of Records. She has performed at numerous concerts in India and across USSR, USA and Europe. She is also affiliated to several universities - like SNDT Mumbai, M.S. University at Baroda, etc.

Inspired by a missionary zeal having undergone insurmountable hurdles herself, Dr. Aban and her guru, Pt. Jijina founded a music institution called SWAR SADHNA SAMITI in 1961, to facilitate upcoming artistes. Here is a talented, well read and scholarly artiste, who has dedicated her life to music.

Dr Mistry plays the sitar too; she cut a disc in 1973. Dancing the Kathak was her favourite hobby till she had to give it up because of ill health. She has learnt singing from Pandit Laxmanrao Bodas.
Today, after performing for nearly five decades, Dr Mistry is busy teaching. Her student Vidya Parab-Sawant has carved her own niche as a tabla player.








2 comments:

  1. Naresh ji....''BHAARAT KI NAARI....BHAARAT KI SHAAN'' series ke antargat aaj aapne ek aur mahaan vibhooti aadarniya DR ABAN MISTRY ji se parichay karwaya hai....unhone tablaa vaadan ko apna kaarya chhetr banaya v desh ki pehli mahila tabla vaadak hone ka gaurav praapt kiya....Naresh ji....chhetr koi bhi ho..safalta ki parkaashtha tak pahunchne ke liye shauk or lagan ko junoon ki hadd tak pahunchna zaroori hai....jab..shauk junoon ban jaata hai tabhi koi uplabdhi haasil hoti hai....Naresh ji....tabla vaadan dekhne main toh bahut aasaan lagta hai..magar ye sab itna aasaan bilkul bhi nahi....mujhe bhi sangeet ka bahut shauk hai....chaahe wo kisi bhi tarah ka kyon na ho....maine aaj se takreeban 20-22 varsh poorv table ke duniya ke mahaantam ustaad...USTAAD ZAAKIR HUSSAIN saahab or unke pita marhoom USTAAD ALLAH RAKKHA saahab ko Agra ke Mughal Shereton Hotel main ITC sangeet sammelan ke dauraan table par jugal bandi karte v solo performance dete hue bilkul paas se apni aankhon ke saamne live kayi baar raat-raat bhar suna hai....main aapko bata sakta hoon iss table ki khoobiyaan....USTAAD ZAAKIR saahab ko table se kayi tarah ki aawaazein nikaalte bhi dekha hai maine....Maine yahaan par iss sab ka ullekh isliye kiya kyonki main samajh sakta hoon aadarniya DR ABAN MISTRY ji ki lagan va mehnat ko nishchit roop se apne jeevan ko hi hom kar diya hoga...unhone tabla vaadan ki parkaashtha ko haasil karne ke liye....Naresh ji....ye baat bilkul sahi hai ki purush pradhaan iss samaaj main uss samay kisi mahila ka tabla vaadan ke chhetr mein aana purushon ko ek ajooba hi lagta hoga..unka ye kathan bhi bilkul sahi hai ki..saathi purush kalaakaar bhi kisi mahila ke table par sangati dene ko apni pratishtha ke khilaaf samajhte the v gambheerta se nahi lete the..v kayi baar toh purush darshakon ke uphaas poorn shabdon ko bhi jhelna padta tha..vaakayi kitna mushkil raha hoga aadarniya DR ABAN MISTRY ji ke liye iss chhetr main survive karna v apni jagah banaana..aur unhone iss sangharsh ko apni taakat banaaya v sabhi baadhaayen paar karte hue apni lagan,aatmbal,mehnat v sangharsh se apni pratibha ka loha manvaaya....unka paanch dashako tak tabla vaadan se jude rehna iss chhetr main unke samarpan ki kahaani svyam vyakt karta hai....main aisi karmath v lagan-sheelta ki dhani aadarniya DR ABAN MISTRY ji ko NAMAN karta hoon..v unke swasthya jeevan ki kaamna karta hoon...
    Naresh ji....''BHAARAT KI NAARI...'' ke antargat aapke dwaara ..safal bhaartiya mahilaaon ke jeevan parichay ko jan-jan tak pahunchaane ke iss mahaan karya ke liye aapka dil se bahut-bahut aabhaar...thanx for sharing.......

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  2. bahut-2 aabhar aapka is vistrit tippani ke liye....Gps Malhotra ji.....mai aapka tahe dil se shukrgujaar hun......aapne apna..khud ka experience likha jo aapne..USTAAD ZAAKIR HUSSAIN saahab or unke pita marhoom USTAAD ALLAH RAKKHA saahab ko sunkar prapt kiya....aur sahi kahaa aapne ki.....unko dekhkar aur sunkar pataa chalta hain ki...Dr Aban Mistry ke liye kitna mushkil kaam rahaa hoga yeh....aaj to aaj ki ladkiyo ke samne wo ek khud misaal hain...par unke samne to koi aisi mahila bhi nahi thee jo unke liye misaal ban sake...islye unhone archeology survey of india ke daftar bhi chhan diye...jis se unhe koi suraag mil sake...tab unhe 2200 saal pahle ka ek chitra mila jisme ek mahila isi tarah ka koi vadya bajaa rahi thee..aur usko prerna strot banaakar unhone yeh tabla wadan seekha.....aur jeevan mei aage badhi aur...aaj is mukaam par pahuch gayi ki..wo auro ke liye misaal ban chuki hain....ek bar fir se aapka shukriya...

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