Manjari Chaturvedi’s recreation of Patiala gharana

Patiala conjures up an image of larger-than-life royalty, fine living, extravagance and magnificence. The Patiala darbar’s contribution to music resulted in the formation of Patiala gharana, whose gayaki has drama and thrilling forms like tappa. Ironically, the man most associated with the gharana, the great Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (1902-1968), was from Kasur, and never lived in Patiala! His uncle, Ustad Kale Khan, apparently had a haveli near Sheranwala Gate, but never really lived in the city. The family’s base was Jammu, and they had been musicians in the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Kathak dancer Manjari Chaturvedi has conceived a unique concept of combining storytelling, dance and music to present a picture of music in the royal darbars. “Our music would not have survived if not for the royal patrons, but today, much of that history has been forgotten. I am trying to pay a tribute through my ‘Royal Gharana’ series,” Manjari says.

‘Patiala — The Royal Gharana’ is second in Manjari’s series; earlier, she showcased the Gwalior gharana; and next on the list is the Rampur Sahaswan gharana.

For this production, Manjari has roped in Ustad Jawaad Ali Khan, grandson of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, to sing. Several stories that she narrates and depicts through dance have been shared by Ustad Jawaad Ali Khan himself, whose repertoire of Punjabi khayals is unmatched.

Script is integral to the production, and Manjari has enlisted the help of an expert. Anecdotes flow, interspersed with the Ustad’s iconic compositions. An all-time favourite remains ‘Kaa karu sajni’, which even today reminds of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan’s emotive rendering.

Ustad Jawaad Ali Khan recalls how the founders of Patiala gharana came to Patiala. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh (1891-1938) wanted the best young singers in his court to rival musicians anywhere. “Maharaja Bhupinder Singh always had the best of everything, be it horses, jewellery or musicians,” he says, adding that he heard of two incredible singers, Fateh Ali (called Karnail or Colonel) and Ali Baksh (1859-1920), in the Tonk court. Ali Baksh was called ‘Jarnail’ or General as his vocal command was no less than an officer commanding an army. This duo, known later as ‘Aliya Fatu’ (Ali and Fateh), came to Patiala and became the pride of the court. Their one request before leaving Tonk was their insistence on having a separate ‘masnad’ to be seated on, to be shown respect befitting their stature.

“Sadly, after the death of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, the patronage of the arts in Patiala ended and the musicians were asked to vacate their havelis, following which they left,” Ustad Jawaad Khan rues. Partition further disrupted the lives of musicians. Punjab and Lahore were no longer the centres of music.

Manjari’s production focuses as much on the visual as the aural. Her sets recreate the ambience of a royal court, with lighting, props like chandeliers and rich textiles adding to the feel of a bygone era. The musicians dress as if in a royal darbar, with sherwanis and saafas. The dancer meticulously researched paintings of the time for designing her own costume.

“I feel it’s my duty to pay homage to the maestros of yore and to understand how our musical traditions have been preserved; I consider this to be amongst my most important work,” she says.

‘Patiala — The Royal Gharana’ will premiere at ‘Virasat’, the 15-day celebration of Indian music and dance, at Dehradun on November 12.

— Delhi-based Khanna writes on music