It is unbelievable that Prabha tai is not with us. She was scheduled to perform today at a concert in Mumbai. As I mourn her, I think about how she worked till the end and what a fantastic life she lived.
She was not from a musician’s family or lineage but she was so devoted and dedicated that she left an incredible legacy.
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Prabha tai was from the Kirana gharana but she developed her own style. She dwelled in music and musical thoughts all the time. She had learnt from Sureshbabu Mane, son of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan of the Kirana gharana, Hirabai Barodekar and Ustad Amir Khan, the founder of the Indore gharana.
She made hundreds of compositions and published 20-30 books and sometimes I wonder if she was making a bandish every day. She has sung beautiful Bhavageet compositions in her 20s and 30s. It is said that music changes every decade and Prabha tai created compositions that one can appreciate today. Her popular Kalavati composition ‘Tan Man Dhan’, a 12-matra bandish, was made more than 40 years ago and one can only marvel at how her musical thought was so advanced. She had written so well and extensively about music, including a poem about the kalakar, that every artiste can relate to. She had arranged a concert where I sang her compositions and each one was beautiful.
In November 2022, she organised a music festival to explore if there is a correlation between raag samay and raag, i.e., the time of the day a raga is traditionally performed and the impact the raga has when sung at that time. She made us sing a morning raag in the evening; at that festival I sang Jaunpuri at night. She loved to experiment with ideas. During this concert, she sat in the front row, in an upright posture that many young people cannot manage. At 11.30 pm, she phoned me and said, “Arati, achha gaayi tum. Bada achcha laga (Arati, you sang well. It was really good).” This is a very big gesture — such a great artiste calling up another artiste and complimenting her. She was very large-hearted.
The first time she came to my house was 10 years ago. She used to live in Mahim and I was in Matunga. She had come with Pt Shrikant Bakre to listen to my music. It is a matter of great fortune when such big artistes encourage young students. Whatever we are today is because of such legends.
Artists like Kishori (Amonkar) tai, Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Pt Jasraj and Rashid Bhai (Ustad Rashid Khan) were like pillars and they have left. In her books on bandishes, her recordings and interviews, Prabha tai remains in my mind and heart and I will keep meeting her there and learning from her.