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J A D U B H A T T A |
JADUNATH BHATTACHARYA
(1840-83)
AT PANCHET GARH |
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ARINDAM BHOWMIK |
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Jadunath Bhattacharya, popularly known as Jadu Bhatta. Jadu Bhatta first came to Panchetgarh during a musical concert of Rasyatra. After his melodious performance, he was offered for the Court Musician of Panchetgarh, but he left Panchetgarh after the musical concert was over. After few months without any information he came to Panchetgarh with baggage & tanpura. He accepted the post of Court Musician (also music teacher) and stayed here for one and half years. He left his note-book (which he used for writing and composing music) at Panchetgarh which is well preserved by Chowdhury-Das-Mahapatra's. An old certificate awarded by Maharaja Satrughnaditya to Jadu Bhatta also found from Panchet Garh. |
You may not be familiar with the name Jadu Bhatta. Here is a brief detail about him. Jadu Bhatta is a genius of Indian Classical Music (Dhrupad Music,Bishnupur Gharana). Jadu Bhatta was born in the year of 1840. He has spent his early days at Kadakuri village near Bishnupur (Bankura, West Bengal). His father Madhusudan Bhattacharaya was a well-known classical singer as well as instrumentalist. At his early days Jadunath learnt 'sitar' and 'mridanga' from his father. He went to Ramshankar Bhattacharaya and Ganganarayan Chottopadhyay (Court musicians of Bishnupur Rajas) to learn Dhrupad form of classical music, which is Bengal's indigenous contribution to Hindusthani raag sangeet and is distinct from Kheyal .
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Jadunath taught music to poet Rabindranath Tagore in his young age. The writer of “Vande Maataram”, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay also took music lessons from Jadunath.
For Jadunath's melodious voice, Rajas of Panchacot awarded him the title of 'Ranganath' and Maharaja of Tripura; Birchandra Manikya awarded him the title of 'Tanraj'. Jadunath had written various songs in Bengali and Hindi. He was known for 'Khanderbani' dhrupad music.
Jadunath raised this music to a higher level and made it well known throughout India. He expired at the age of 43. Jadunath's 177 years old tanpura that Dhrupad legend Jadu Bhatta used to play while giving lessons to icons like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Rabindranath Tagore has made its way to Indian Museum. |
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An old certificate awarded by Maharaja Satrughnaditya to Jadu Bhatta
Courtesy:
Choudhuri Pinaki Nandan Das Mohapatra
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The fact that although Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was himself a musician, he never composed the music for Vande Maataram. It was set to tune by Pandit Jadunath Bhattacharya (1840-83) from Bhatpara (another locality near Naihati, whose chief inhabitants were Bhattacharyas). It was most likely set in Malhar raga; Kawali taal , but unfortunately that melody is long lost. There is a footnote in Anandamath, in the first edition of Bankim Rachanavali (collected works of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay) that the song is in Malhar raga, ektaal. (Personal communication with Dr. Siddhartha Chatterjee). There is no way to confirm what Jadunath composed, but to speculate. ***
*** http://listentoworldmusic.blogspot.in/2011_01_01_archive.html |
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