"Kaisa range dil saada
Rangi o lalaari gaya,
Jind tche khalaari gaya
Jind tche khalaari gaya,
Pataa nahin kudr'e O
Mann’e da bapaari gaya,
Mithdi mithdi peed meri.."
(That dyer!
What a strange colour he
used
to dye this simple
heart?
My life, he made turbulent
Yes turbulent is my life
now;
And then, which path
that
Merchant of Love took
to move away from
me ,
I don't know.
Sweet and sweeter is my
pain now.)
When I hear this
Dogri song, I feel elated. The music and the singing of this composition are
superb. Composed by TK Jalali, an exponent of Agra and Gwalior Gharanas and
renowned musician (vocalist, violin maestro and composer) and sung by his
daughter and student Archana Jalali Tikoo, this song has become popular in the entire Dogri speaking area of J&K and Himachal Pradesh.
Sometime back his composition ‘Vothi baagitch kukli koo koo kaer
kaer jal ta kumir mana-naavani’ or ‘Come O garden’s koel. Make aggrieved birds
of the garden sing again‘, became immensely popular. This author sent the YouTube recording of the
song to Shantiveer Kaul son of Dina Nath Nadim, the poet who wrote the song.
Shantiveer wrote back this:-
“Had Nadim Sahib been
alive, he would have been overjoyed to listen to his poem in this style. He always
wanted the poem to be composed by some good musician and not sung as Chhakri. I
am overwhelmed. Pandit T K Jalali is certainly a Guru.”
Not many of us know that Pandit Jalali composed the music for Mehmood Gaami's popular song "Katyoo chhukh nunda- baaney valo maashooq myaane" sung by Runa Laila well-known singer from Bangladesh.
His CD and EP disc Mani-kaamana and two volumes of Harrmukh Kaney brought out by KOA, USA became immensely popular among Kashmiris living in India, the USA, Canada and the UK.Set to tunes by Pandit Jalali, it was sung by Archana Jalali Tikoo and Aarti Tiku Kaul, both of whom learnt classical music from Pandit T K Jalali. He scored the background music and composed the title song for a 100-plus episode popular TV serial Kashmir File for Doordarshan. Vyeth Television came out with two volumes titled “Ethnic Music of Kashmir “featuring songs sung by none other than Archana herself. She got another album “ Soz-e-Dil “, a collection of Sufi and romantic Kashmiri ghazals, released in Feb. 2007 in India,
In November 2016, Prasar Bharati and J&K Academy of Art Culture And Languages decided to honour Pandit T K Jalali (Born1941). The venue (K L Sehgal Hall of JKAACL) was packed to capacity and for the first time, a row of additional chairs was added as admirers of Pandit Jalali kept pouring in. With so many students, so many well-wishers and so many admirers across the UT, Pandit T K Jalali commands the respect and affection of a wide section of music lovers. It was evident, demonstrative and visible from the gathering and the words of gratitude and praise came from his students,ex-colleagues and some music lovers in general. The tributes of Brij Mohan (well-known composer from Jammu ) to Pandit Jalali, whom he called his friend, philosopher and guide, kept the audience spellbound; so moving and poured from the depths of his heart. In this function, Prof Lalit Gupta paid glowing tributes to the man and his work.
Innumerable Dogri songs, Kashmiri songs, Urdu Geets/Gazals,
Gojri songs and even some Sanskrit verses have been set to music by him for
Akashvani. He also composed music for stage operas, radio features and television
programmes. He mentored and nurtured numerous performing artists,
including Arti Tiku Kaul, Archana Jalali Tikoo, M.K. Raina, Maharaj Krishan
Pandita, Dalip Langoo, Kamlesh Handoo, Dost Mohammad Khan, Chetna Kaul, and
many others. Singers such as Kailash Mehra, Shamim Dev Azad, Ghulam Nabi
Sheikh, Sunaina Kaul, and Kiran Kaul also flourished under his tutelage,
refining their musical skills under his guidance.
Talk
to any singer, musician or composer from the UT and you come to know that he
has directly or indirectly influenced him even though he may not have been his
pupil.
After 1990, he trained a host of singers in Jammu like Kalpana Kesar, Navin Sharma, Roshi Shamnotra, Jasmeet Kaur,
Rakesh Kalotra, Ranjit Singh Katoach, Rahul Kumar, Mukesh Verma, and Chinmei
Sharma. These students now work as Assistant Professors in the Higher Education
Department. Other notable individuals who learnt music from him include
Manender Sharma, Kusha Sharma, Indu Bala, Shobha Kumari, Ronit Ravinder, Shruti
Kapoor, Neha Kapoor, Saurabh Kapoor, and Manju Dogra.
He
is a singular personality who worked as an administrator, teacher and composer. His engagement with music has been 24 by 7; always training students
and composing.
And Gwalior Gharana has been his forte. He did his post-graduation in music from Jiwaji
University Gwalior. For over a
decade, he remained under the tutelage and mentorship of legends like Pandit
Chidanand Nagarkar in Mumbai and Pandit Balasahib Poochwale (of Gwalior,
polishing his skills and expanding the skylines of his musical expression. Pandit Chidanand Nagarkar (1919 - 1971) was known for his
brilliant and spontaneous improvisations on stage. He headed the music
department of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Bombay for nearly 25 years. He was a
gifted composer and is credited with having invented several Raags such as Raag
Kaishikiranjani and Raag Ambika Sarang. Pandit Balasaheb Puchhawale (1919 -
2005), was an eminent vocalist of Gwalior Gharana excelling in both Khayal
Gayaki and Tappa. He was trained by his father and Guru Panditt Rajabhaiya Poochwale
and he also learned
from celebrated musicologist Vishnu Narayan
Bhatkhande.
Hailing from Rainawari, he is a simple and straightforward person who prefers to remain engrossed in his work. The zeal for achieving perfection and excellence in work has not died down in him. He remains steadfast in his strong beliefs such as rigorous Riyaaz, perfection in Sur and Taal and above all purity of Raga. As a composer, he dives deep into the poetry and emotions to bring forth the real feel while blending words with music. He remains unmatched when it comes to playing some instruments, especially violin.
KASHMIR FILE
Kashmir File (1994-1996), a weekly magazine programme produced by Arun
Kaul’s Vyeth
Television for Doordarshan registered a record viewership.
The Kashmir File series covered news, religion culture, shrines, nostalgia,
literature, political affairs, social life, archaeology art and festivals of
Kashmir. It opened an audio-visual door on all these topics for viewers across
the globe. It was one of some highly researched programmes shown on
Doordarshan. The programme was a roaring success all over the country. The
mailbox of the programme was always full. The programme opened with a mesmerizing
rendition of ‘Maaji vyethi vandahai paan ‘( this life I would
sacrifice for mother Vitasta, the river ), a short piece as its title music
followed by ’Sondariye bozi myaan Zaar’ and ‘Rosha Vala Myani Dilbaro’ additional
short pieces all sung by Archana Jalali Tikoo in
her melodious voice and composed by Pandit T K Jalali who had scored the music
for the entire series. The captivating music would suddenly shift to the sound
of the gunfire and the programme would begin. The opening songs and music touched
the heart and soul of the exiled Kashmiri Pandit community across the country
and abroad. I am informed that in most of Archana Jalali Tikoo’s concerts in
North America, the listeners request her to sing these songs to refresh their
old memories of ‘Maej Kashir ‘(Mother Kashmir ).
A tragedy in his own family brought some pain and unpleasantness in his personal life. He lost his young son in the prime of his life. He moved to Canada to stay with his daughter Archnan Jalali Tikoo. This author has been in touch with him and Pandit T K Jalali looks forward to the first opportunity to return to his roots to contribute even when his health has been failing.
Artist Bhushen Kaul has this to say:-
“I have worked closely with T K Jalali in Srinagar. He was the principal of the institute when I headed the painting department. He has no parallel in the state of his field. A disciplinarian and a great well-wisher of the students and the faculty, it was he who put enormous pressure and effort into the affiliation of the IMFA with the Univerisity of Kashmir. None remembers this and his contribution. I know how much he suffered on this score. He is a perfectionist in his work which quality is rare now. You can see his image in some singers who were trained by him.”
Dr Rohin Dhar from Chandigarh has this to
say:-
“He was my next-door
neighbour in Rawalpora colony. Both the houses were vandalised and burnt to
ashes. His son who was in class 10 accompanied me to Jammu when I
left Srinagar in the wee hours after threats. The journey
to Jammu was heartbreaking with people escaping in droves. I dropped
him off at Kachchi Chhawni. This is the last time I saw him. Peace be upon that
young soul. A great tragedy.”
Prof Jaya Parimu had this to say:-
“Jalali Sahib is
an authentic Indian classical musician, whom I have had the privilege of
listening to in private "Mehfils" in front of a select audience. He
would also come to Women's College, Srinagar sometimes as an External Examiner
to examine students on pure classical music. As an Internal Examiner at times,
I would keenly observe the way he would conduct the examinations which he was
so good at. This is how I understand Jalali Sahib a musician who emerged on the classical music scene in J&K after a long gap. My congratulations and hand fold
Namaskar to Jalali Sahib “.
Aarti Tiku Kaul a well-known singer (now settled in the US) had this to say:-
“Whatever I have
achieved in the field of music is only because of Guru Ji! As his first student
in Kashmir, he showered all his musical knowledge unselfishly, nurtured
me, and treated me like a close family member. He deserves all the praise and
accolades for his immense knowledge of classical music, his acute creativity,
and his tremendous contributions to music especially in Kashmir. May God keep him
in good health and give him all the happiness and many more such recognitions.”
And he continues to remain a caring
husband, loving father and affectionate and helpful friend. To his close
relations, he is Dear Kaka Ji. For serving his old parents, he was always
dedicated and unfaltering in his duty. And about his elder brother Arun Kaul
(Bollywood scriptwriter and filmmaker), he says this:-
“I remain indebted to him for all that I have achieved. He was a caring guide. I have acted on his suggestions which have proved major turning points in my life. Miss him."
When shall the establishment rise to honour such genuine contributors is a big question? He never seeks it. He says:-
“The love of my listeners, the respect that I get from my students and the affection of music lovers in general for me is my award. What more is needed in this life?”
"Hum andhiyon ke ban mein kissi karwaan ke thay
Jaane kahaan pe aaye hain jaane kahaan ke thay.
Ae jaane dastaan tujhe aayaa kabhi khayaal,
Woh log kyaa huve jo teri dastaan ke thay …….(.Juan Elia )
(In the stormy jungle, we belonged a passing Caravan,
We don’t know where have we landed and
Wherefrom did we arrive over here.
O, you, the beloved of my tale of woes,
Did you ever think about
those who
vanished suddenly,
and who were a part of your story.)
( Avtar Mota )
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.
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