| Font Size |
On the second floor of a nondescript building in Thakurdwar, Girgaum, the Trinity Club—or Trimoorti Sangeet Mandal—has presided over countless sessions of Indian Classical Music over the past 100 years.
Established in 1908 by a banker named Bondse, the club was inaugurated by the peerless vocalist Bhaskarbua Bakhale. “In the early 20th century, lodging for vocalists, performers and musicians was non-existent. Bondse’s tenanted premises worked as a lodging
station and doubled up as a performing space,” says Balasaheb Tikekar, the current president and member of 52 years.
Tikekar first heard about the space as a 32-year-old. “I was looking to further my interest in Indian Classical music and my friend told me about Trinity,” he says. What sets the club apart from the flourishing music clubs and circles of the past is that members, performers and viewers are all exempt from charges and payments. Even the instruments at the Trinity Club have been donated by music aficionados. “Trinity is unique among music clubs in Mumbai in that none of the institutions I researched ever provided housing for artists,” says Aneesh Pradhan, a leading tabla player, whose renown extends to scholarship in Indian Classical music as well performance.
Pradhan says that music clubs and circles are an entirely European influence. “Remember, these were pre-amplification days in the late 19th century—music and performers were looked down upon in society.” The new, educated middleclass and the intellectuals hunting for symbols of national pride turned towards Hindustani music. Performances at music circles for the leading tabla, tanpura and vocalists of the day came at a price, but clubs engaged the interested public at a more personal level.
For its centenary year, 81-year-old Tikekar has a booklet and hopefully, full-power performances on his wish-list. In the past, stalwarts like tanpura players Bal Gandharva and Master Krishnarao, Govindrao Tembe’s harmonium, violinist Shrdihar Parsekar and performers like Savai Gandhrava and Vilayat Hussain Khan Saheb have all graced the floor at the Trinity Music Club. “Artists willingly showed up. Many would say, ‘We have come to our maher or mother’s place’,” says Tikekar. “Since these legendary performers were engaged with the club, a lot of learning and teaching took place,” says Pradhan.
The tradition continues. On a lazy Sunday evening, Yogesh Hanswadkar, disciple of Chandrashekhar Swami, himself a disciple of the great Jasraj, puts in a virtuoso performance for the audience that bothered to show up. The ten attendees include our party of three. A far cry from the old days when spaces like Purandare Hall had to be hired separately to accommodate larger crowds. Tikekar attributes the fall to television while Pradhan says that large scale diversion of funds into the homogenous and mindless pop and Bollywood gigs have reduced the visibility of Indian Classical music. “The diverse music of Mumbai was a reflection of the diverse society we lived in,” says Pradhan.
Discuss this story on expressindia forums
|
|