PANDIT SHARAD SATHE AT SIXTY

On a warm Sunday morning in May, an exclusive gathering of musicians, music lovers and friends gathered to felicitate Pandit Sharad Sathe, a senior musician of the Gwalior Gharana on his 60th birthday. The invitees were regaled by Sathe and his wife Sunetra for three hours  and more of classy music. The only interruption was a brief interlude to accommodate a touching two- minute interlude made by their daughter Smita Mahajan. And a word of thanks to the distinguished audience. The music that morning reflected the sophistication grace and emotional overtones of the Gwalior Gharana.

 Sunetra Sathe opened the session with a forceful rendering of compositions in Jaunpuri and Alaiya Bilawal. She had been on a self-imposed exile from the public stage for twelve years but her music revealed her thorough grounding and involvement in the art. Pt Sharad Sathe’s recital was in the nature of a heartfelt offering to his gurus. He seemed inspired by the presence of the octogenarian Pt Sharad Chandra Arolkar with whom he has maintained a constructive relationship for the past twenty-six years. The Todi which flowed was a brilliant display of grandeur and aesthetics. The musical grammar was correct, there was also emotion or bhava.

The quality of an inner harmony which gives richness and dimension to his music was also evident. He rendered a tappa with great felicity and concluded his recital with a tarana and a composition in Bhairavi. The event helped recall how music brought Sharad Sathe and Sunetra together and has remained a binding force in their family.

Born in 1932 in Pune , Sathe was encouraged by his sister Kamal Ketkar a musicologist, to learn music under her guru the young Dattatreya Paluskar. The gifted son of the legendary Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, D.V Paluskar is credited with simplifying the highly complex Gwalior gayaki and endowing it with a depth of perception and a rich emotive quality. Sathe was in his teens when he began receiving instruction under Paluskar as one of the most promising students. He enjoyed the privilege of travelling and performing with his Master.

“Over seven years I had the opportunity to learn concert planning for my guru could gauge the audience and give them exactly what they wanted”, says Sathe in admiration, and adds: “I remember an Independence Day concert in Lahore in 1953. In the morning Panditji had high fever. D. K. Datar who was to accompany him on the violin and I had taken for granted that concert would be cancelled. But in the morning, my guruji asked to be helped on to the stage and gave an unblemished recital. His spirit was admirable. In 1954, at a conference in Motihari  Bihar, he was scheduled to sing last. His turn came at three o clock in the morning. The audience was tired and listless. Guruji began with a drut khayal in Lalit, an early morning raga. The audience responded with such renewed energy and sheer joy that it seemed like a miracle.”

The sense of bereavement at the tragic death of his youthful master still lingers in Sathe’s voice. As he remembers the events leading to Paluskar’s sudden end. Paluskar had just returned from a tour to China in 1955 as part of a government delegation. On Vijayadashami Day, he developed high fever diagnosed as encephalitis, and collapsed within 24 hours.

Sharad Sathe was only twenty-three at that time and had graduated in science. His quest for another guru brought him to Bombay in 1956. He continued his musical training under B. R. Deodhar who passed away in March 1990. He was also a disciple of Vishnu Digamber Paluskar.

Sunetra studied music with Govind Rao Desai, of the Gwalior tradition. She has an interesting story to tell about her first meeting with Sharad Sathe. “The first time I saw him was at his concert. Half way through the concert, I just walked away, unable to enjoy the music.” Quips Sathe, cutting in, “Perhaps you were overwhelmed by my personality.” Sunetra gave up performing when the family responsibilities grew. Married in 1958, the Sathes have a daughter Smita (vocalist and dancer) and a son, Samir.

Sathe comes across as an enlightened musician who has could successfully blend learning with a studied modern approach to life and music onstage and off it he projects a sense of harmony and conveys a shrewd inner determination which has stood him in good stead throughout his career of forty plus years. Says he,” Music has been the mainstay of my life. I am indeed fortunate in my guru-s and content with the course of my career has taken. I am not one to take recourse to gimmicks or pursue publicity. I believe that the satisfaction good music can give cannot be matched by anything in the world. These are the values I have been taught by my guru-s and this I have tried to impart to my children and students.”

Under his guidance, Pandit Sharad Sathe ‘s daughter Smita and son Samir inherit an ear for music and the arts. Smita Sathe-Mahajan is an accomplished dancer who has published a book of her compositions and lyrics for dance. She choreographed a few items and presented them with her students. Smita and Samir are trained in Carnatic music as well.

Panditji is dedicated to the promotion of arts and culture and is connected to the Dadar Matunga Cultural Centre. He is a calligrapher and a commercial artist, which is not known to many of his fans.

[This article was first published in Sruti Issue 99/100]