Review: Mind & Music: Demystifying Thumri Maestros by Meenakshi Prasad

An authentic work based on personal interactions and in-depth interviews with musicians, it delves into the experiences and understanding of a range of thumri practitioners from maestros to young artistes. All of it is also backed by the author’s extensive reading of the biographies of everyone from Siddheshwari Devi to Begum Akhtar.

Covering a time span of more than a century from the period of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan to contemporary living legends like Pt Chhannulal Mishra and Pt Ajoy Chakraborty, to name a few, the author finds a relative consistency in the outlook and psychological dimensions of exponents. “Apart from excellent guidance and thorough riyaaz (practice), there were certain psychological factors, they believed, that made them a healthy and balanced personality; a primary requirement for becoming a great artiste. Hereditary exposure, family support, and various development factors were some of the strong psychological pillars, which helped them emerge as a successful artist,” she writes.

Comprising 12 chapters, the book begins with how the idea germinated and moves on to cover the evolution and history of Indian music and different forms of Hindustani music before focussing on the thumri. The aesthetic appeal of the genre, infused as it is with the sensual and the sublime, is also looked at. Aesthetics and spirituality, Prasad says, make up the basis of Indian arts in general and raag-sangeet in particular. Indian thinkers and musicologists have gone a step further and declared that Indian classical music is the most suitable path to understanding the ultimate truth and achieving self-realization. “So aesthetics in the Indian context righteously follows the path of Satyam Shivam Sundaram, truth, tranquility and beauty,” she says.

The aim of the chapter on aesthetics is to show how great musicians explored it in the wider context of originality, clarity, emotions, feelings, love, and beauty in their selection of compositions, renditions, and in their overall musical journey. A few thumris like Jao wahin tum Shyaam in Mishra Khamaj, Piya ke milan ki aas in Jogiya, Aaye na Shyaam in Sindura, Jaag padi main toh Piya ke jagaaye in Maanjh Khamaj, are cited here explaining their meaning with reference to context underlining their Rasa-Bhaav. The embellishment of the bandish is duly explained as taking care of raga and rasa, through the integration of emotion and music. The fundamental nature of both these elements is discussed further in the next chapter where she states “Raga and rasa are like cause and effect and a fascinating area in both music and psychology.”

The book underlines the importance of the guru-shishya parampara (teacher-disciple tradition) and its contemporary relevance. The parampara, the author states, is one of the unique features of the Indian art tradition, especially Indian music. The guru is more than someone who teaches a specific subject pertaining to a particular skill or art; he or she is also a guide, counsellor, and parental figure, who inculcates values as well as experimental and specific knowledge. Indeed, the guru reveals the meaning and purpose of life and the tradition itself helps to transform learning and education into knowledge that’s continually developing. This is precisely why we need more gurukuls like the ITC-SRA (Sangeet Research Academy).

Explaining the idea of innovation, she quotes Lubart: “The Eastern view of creativity considers music as an expression of personal truth and self-growth.” Prasad explains that Indian classical music focuses on discovery and emphasises the harmony and balance between raga and tala. “The ragas form the fabric of melodic structure, while the tala measure the time cycle. The raga gives artists the palette to build the melody form of sounds, the tala provides a creative framework for rhythmic improvisations using time,” she says, adding that “aesthetic balance” is the unity between raga and tala. All of this means that Indian thought views true creativity as a process of understanding and enlightenment and not just a product of mass entertainment.

The book excels in its explanations of how the psychological experiences of stalwarts helps them create something new even as they are singing. They penetrate the surface of perception to reach the obscure logic underneath and become creative with the hidden connections between thoughts, feelings, and impulses. Citing eminent psychologists, she then quotes musicians who second the same thoughts with their statements. She moves from Feist and Barron’s idea that “Openness to experience is one of the five factors of personality, and is fundamental to creativity” to talk about the death of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan’s wife that compelled the genius to pour out his heart in his immortal thumri, Yaad Piya ki aaye/Ye dukh saha na jaye.

The book deals with the role of stalwarts as leaders and their power to influence younger generations by focusing on their behaviour, style of presentation, and communication skills. Prasad, who also deals with the concerns of young artists through workshops and focused group interviews, states that the prime objective of this book is to address the problems of younger practitioners. The concluding chapter deals with the concept of the self and states that self-esteem can be improved by skill training, environmental change, and cognitive therapy. In sum, the book covers not just the thumri genre from a psychological perspective but also offers insights into why people think, feel, act, and express themselves the way they do.

Manjari Sinha is a senior music critic.

Books on music are often written either about its practical or theoretical aspects. Music & Mind: Demystifying Thumri Maestros focuses on the psychological aspect of classical Hindustani music, especially the thumri genre. Author Meenakshi Prasad, herself a thumri singer trained under Vidushi Savita Devi, is a postgraduate in psychology. This book, that explores the influence of psychology in the emergence and success of an artist, combines the author’s excellence in her subject and in the realm of music.

An authentic work based on personal interactions and in-depth interviews with musicians, it delves into the experiences and understanding of a range of thumri practitioners from maestros to young artistes. All of it is also backed by the author’s extensive reading of the biographies of everyone from Siddheshwari Devi to Begum Akhtar.

Covering a time span of more than a century from the period of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan to contemporary living legends like Pt Chhannulal Mishra and Pt Ajoy Chakraborty, to name a few, the author finds a relative consistency in the outlook and psychological dimensions of exponents. “Apart from excellent guidance and thorough riyaaz (practice), there were certain psychological factors, they believed, that made them a healthy and balanced personality; a primary requirement for becoming a great artiste. Hereditary exposure, family support, and various development factors were some of the strong psychological pillars, which helped them emerge as a successful artist,” she writes.

Comprising 12 chapters, the book begins with how the idea germinated and moves on to cover the evolution and history of Indian music and different forms of Hindustani music before focussing on the thumri. The aesthetic appeal of the genre, infused as it is with the sensual and the sublime, is also looked at. Aesthetics and spirituality, Prasad says, make up the basis of Indian arts in general and raag-sangeet in particular. Indian thinkers and musicologists have gone a step further and declared that Indian classical music is the most suitable path to understanding the ultimate truth and achieving self-realization. “So aesthetics in the Indian context righteously follows the path of Satyam Shivam Sundaram, truth, tranquility and beauty,” she says.

The aim of the chapter on aesthetics is to show how great musicians explored it in the wider context of originality, clarity, emotions, feelings, love, and beauty in their selection of compositions, renditions, and in their overall musical journey. A few thumris like Jao wahin tum Shyaam in Mishra Khamaj, Piya ke milan ki aas in Jogiya, Aaye na Shyaam in Sindura, Jaag padi main toh Piya ke jagaaye in Maanjh Khamaj, are cited here explaining their meaning with reference to context underlining their Rasa-Bhaav. The embellishment of the bandish is duly explained as taking care of raga and rasa, through the integration of emotion and music. The fundamental nature of both these elements is discussed further in the next chapter where she states “Raga and rasa are like cause and effect and a fascinating area in both music and psychology.”

The book underlines the importance of the guru-shishya parampara (teacher-disciple tradition) and its contemporary relevance. The parampara, the author states, is one of the unique features of the Indian art tradition, especially Indian music. The guru is more than someone who teaches a specific subject pertaining to a particular skill or art; he or she is also a guide, counsellor, and parental figure, who inculcates values as well as experimental and specific knowledge. Indeed, the guru reveals the meaning and purpose of life and the tradition itself helps to transform learning and education into knowledge that’s continually developing. This is precisely why we need more gurukuls like the ITC-SRA (Sangeet Research Academy).

Explaining the idea of innovation, she quotes Lubart: “The Eastern view of creativity considers music as an expression of personal truth and self-growth.” Prasad explains that Indian classical music focuses on discovery and emphasises the harmony and balance between raga and tala. “The ragas form the fabric of melodic structure, while the tala measure the time cycle. The raga gives artists the palette to build the melody form of sounds, the tala provides a creative framework for rhythmic improvisations using time,” she says, adding that “aesthetic balance” is the unity between raga and tala. All of this means that Indian thought views true creativity as a process of understanding and enlightenment and not just a product of mass entertainment.

The book excels in its explanations of how the psychological experiences of stalwarts helps them create something new even as they are singing. They penetrate the surface of perception to reach the obscure logic underneath and become creative with the hidden connections between thoughts, feelings, and impulses. Citing eminent psychologists, she then quotes musicians who second the same thoughts with their statements. She moves from Feist and Barron’s idea that “Openness to experience is one of the five factors of personality, and is fundamental to creativity” to talk about the death of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan’s wife that compelled the genius to pour out his heart in his immortal thumri, Yaad Piya ki aaye/Ye dukh saha na jaye.

The book deals with the role of stalwarts as leaders and their power to influence younger generations by focusing on their behaviour, style of presentation, and communication skills. Prasad, who also deals with the concerns of young artists through workshops and focused group interviews, states that the prime objective of this book is to address the problems of younger practitioners. The concluding chapter deals with the concept of the self and states that self-esteem can be improved by skill training, environmental change, and cognitive therapy. In sum, the book covers not just the thumri genre from a psychological perspective but also offers insights into why people think, feel, act, and express themselves the way they do.

Manjari Sinha is a senior music critic.