Yashwant Sadashiv Pandit ‘Mirashibua’
- rohan170699
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Early Life:
In the year 1983, a boy was born into the family of Sadashiv Pandit, Ichalkaranji. He was named Yashwant. The family had mirasdari, which was similar to the revenue collectors of that time. Hence, the little Yashwant Pandit was later known as Mirashibua.
Coincidentally, his Guru Gayanacharya Pt. Balkrishnabua Ichalkaranjikar lived next to his house. Young Yashwant used to make fun of Balkrishnbua’s singing. He used to imitate his singing. But, a Guru like Balkrishnabua did not get angry with him, but rather, noting his keen powers of observation, comprehension and imitation, he expressed his desire to teach him.
Musical Training:
With the permission from his parents, Balkrishnabua started training Young Yashwant. Balkrishnabua was trained in the Gwalior tradition of North Indian Khayal Tradition. He trained Yashwant in Dhrupad, Khayal, and Tarana. Young Yashwant soon mastered everything that was taught by Balkrishnabua. He had a flawless voice, great command over breathing and fast, tuneful Taan.
Musical Legacy:
In the year 1911, he joined a theatrical troupe, Natyakala Pravartak Mandali. Since he had a handsome personality, a clean and flawless voice, commendable singing and acting skills, he soon got fame as a singer-actor. They continued working with the company till 1932. He did teach a few students while working in the company.
After parting his way with the theatrical troupe, he started his career as a full-time performer and teacher. Like his Guru Balkrishnabua, Yashwantbua also became a noted Guru of his era. Rajarambua Paradkar, Panditrao Nagarkar, Yashwantbua Joshi, Ram Marathe, Kanebua, Utturkarbua, DB Khire, Malati Joshi, and CR Vyas were a few of his disciples. From the above list, one can imagine his authority as a Guru.
The author of Raag Vidnyan, Pt. Vinayakbua Patwardhan also got guidance from Mirashibua. Later, with his initiation, four volumes of Khayal Gayaki (a book with traditional compositions and their improvisation from the Gwalior tradition) were published. Mirashibua wrote all four volumes and also conducted a few demonstrations with the help of his two students, Pawar and Malati Joshi. Sardar Abasaheb Mujumdar had written the preface for this book. While writing this book, some suggested he should correct the wording of compositions. But he refused, suggesting this is how he was taught by his Guru; he does not have the authority to correct Guru’s teachings.
Unfortunately, many of his disciples later went to learn from other traditions. CR Vyas, Yashwantbua Joshi went on to become disciples of Jagannathbua Purohit of Agra Gharana. Kanebua learnt under Ustad Vilayat Khan, while Ram Marathe learnt and was influenced by many. They all went on to become excellent performers as well as Gurus. However, they were not faithful to the tradition and teachings of their Guru, as Mirashibua was. Also, Mirashibua wasn’t as celebrated as his other contemporary Gurus, even after producing and nurturing an entire generation of successful musicians.
Yashwantbua was trained in the Gwalior tradition of Khayal music. He considered a composition to be the seed idea of any raag. Therefore, while training his disciples, he emphasised singing the composition properly. He was famous for his clear and fast taan, clear pronunciation of words in the composition. He had all the Gwalior elements in his gayaki like Meend, Gamak, Behelawa, Bol taan.
In his last years, Vasantrao Rajopadhye recorded a session with him in the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. He sang almost 300+ khayal compositions there as Balkrishnabua taught him. It is preserved in the Archives of ABGMV, Vashi. He continued singing for AIR till his last breath. He passed away in Pune on 05th of January, 1966.
Below are the three recordings of Mirashibua featuring Raag Adana, Bhimpalasi and Kedar:
In the following recording, we can listen to a Vilambit Tiwada composition in Raag Adana ‘Ala Sai Sajan’ sung by Mirashibua. The laya of the theka is leaning towards madhyalay, which is a characteristic of old Gwalior gayaki. He sings the Sthai and Antara before improvising the composition. The mood of the raag Adana is well maintained throughout the recording. All of the improvisation is done in the uttarang, yet, the aggressiveness of the raag is maintained through fast-paced phrasing instead of repeated taan.
In the recording of raag Bhimpalasi, Mirashibua sings a composition ‘Garib Nawaz’ in the Madhya-vilambit Tilwada. The sam is put on the higher octave Sa, which is rarely heard. In the improvisation, Bua keeps resting on the Pa. We can hear a unique approach to the raag Bhimpalasi. Also, one can listen to the fast and clear taan for which he was famous. We can notice the flavour of Bal Gandharva in his approach and in this particular recording.
In the recording of raag Kedar, Mirashibua has sung traditional Khayal in Madhya-Vilambit Tilwada and Drut Ektaal, ‘Jogi Ravala’, ‘Sughar Chatur Baiyya’. In this particular recording, Mirashibua seems very old. Still, the emphasis on clear pronunciation can be felt. Also, what grabs attention about this recording is Mirashibua's approach to music-making in his last years. He did not have his youthful voice and fast taan to his help, but the way he developed the raag is appreciable. Throughout the recording, he has used bols to improvise the raag.
References:
Swarsangat Sardar: A memorial book on Sardar Abasaheb Mujumdar
Naadbrahma Swaryogi Sangeetbhushan Pt. Ram Marathe
Maharashtrache Shilpakar: Charitra Kosh, Sangeet Khand
Hindustani Khayal Gayaki, Mirashibua
Bharatiya Sangeetmala, Mirashibua
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