Pandit Manilal Nag
CM Suvendu Adhikari’s social media post following Nag’s demise highlighted how he “carried the sublime, Dhrupad-steeped strains of our classical heritage to the global stage” and underlined how his “devotion to music, mastery over the instrument and dedication to nurturing generations of disciples” set him apart as “an institution in himself”. A recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2001), Asiatic Society’s honorary gold medal (2008), Alauddin Purashkar (2012) and the Banga Bibhushan (2015), Nag had told TOI that his Padma Shri (2020) was an “acknowledgment” of the “vast scholarship of the gurus,” including that of his father, Sangeetacharya Gokul Nag. Calling her father-turned-guru a “purist”, Vidushi Mita Nag said, “Baba was a saint. His only desire was that classical music should thrive and that this gharana should carry on. ”Describing him as a “flower with a different fragrance”, sitarist Ustad Shujaat Husain Khan said, “He carried a fragrance entirely his own, and his music was intensely emotional. His playing, Khan said, was a quiet declaration of artistic truth: “this is who I am, and this is how I play”. “I have always admired his unwavering integrity and his steadfast refusal to stray from his path,” Khan added. Back at Kolkata’s Rajya Sangeet Academy where his mortal remains were kept for paying tribute, Pt Subhen Chatterjee remembered his unforgettable renditions of raag “Marwa”, “Bhimpalasi” and “Saraswati” during his years of accompanying him in over 400 concerts across the globe. Later on, I noticed that he was also inspired by the meditative aspect of Ustad Aamir Khan’s singing style and the restrained ‘taiyari’ of Pt Nikhil Banerjee,” the table player said. Restraint was his hallmark, never “overdoing” anything.
Standing tall alongside the towering trinity of Pt Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan, and Pt Nikhil Banerjee, the sitarist was the first Padma recipient from the Bishnupur gharana. He was a shy person and never talked much about himself. When surrounded by luminaries, many artists copy and alter their original style to fit the mould. He never did. “The dhrupadi style of playing that he adopted in his alaap was unique. “Witnessing how he maintained his speed, tonal clarity and balance while playing the ‘jhala’ was a learning experience for all of us. Once while accompanying him at a concert in Puducherry, I felt like being in a trance hearing him play the ‘jhala’. He was one of the greatest ‘jhala’ players that India has ever seen,” Chatterjee added.
Kolkata: The world of Indian classical music lost a maestro of profound restraint when Padma Shri Pandit Manilal Nag passed away in Kolkata on Monday, marking the quiet end of an unbroken 18th-century musical lineage.