Guru Pandit Nilakantha Mishra

Early Life

Guru Pandit Nilakantha Mishra -  View Photo Gallery[Link]

          Guruji Pandit Nilakantha Mishra (1918 - 2000) was born in an Odia Brahmin family in a village called Shri Mukundapur, near Nirakarpur, in the Odisha state of India to Shri Baasudeba Mishra (Father) and Sunaamani Mishra (Mother). At an early age, he taught himself how to play the Indian Babmboo Flute. And, later, during his high-school days, he learnt flute from a local teacher.

Guru’s Guru: A very rare picture of Guru Pandit Nilakantha Mishra's guru, an eminent Hindustani musician of Gwalior Gharana and a disciple of Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, Guru Pandit Narayanrao Vyas (1902 - 1984).

Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872 - 1931)

       
The Journey Begins

          After his matriculation exams (the exams at the end of the final year of high school), he joined military services. During his deputation in Jabalpur, one day, he heard someone singing in a house while he was passing through a street after watching a movie. He liked that musical rendition so much that he could not stop himself from peeping into that house through the window open to the street. He saw an old Muslim man singing. Guruji visited the old man over the very next day and demonstrated his flute skills and attempted a bit of singing.

The Turning Point

          The old man, 92 years old at that point in time, advised guruji to learn and pursue Hindustani Classical Vocal Music. That old man was Sitarhind Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Saaheb, a prominent Hindustani Classical musician. In his early 20s, before his marriage, Guruji learnt from Khan Saaheb over a period of 8 years, in both Kirana Gharana and Patiala Gharana. Then, he left the Military Services and joined the Central Excise Department. While in the Central Excise Department, he worked in Kolkata (West Bengal) and then in Puri (Odisha).

A Tryst with Tabla

          Guruji, in Kolkata, met Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh who was one of the most prominent Indian Harmonium and Tabla players from Farukhabad gharana of Hindustani classical music. Guruji learnt Tabla and Harmonium from Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh over the next many years and continued his learning in the classes that Pandit Ghosh used to conduct at Puri, later. 

In his Pursuit of Furtherance

          There was a concept of Service Zone Seniority in the Government job that Guruji had. In the year 1959, when he was around 40 years old, Guruji chose to move to Mumbai to attain further progress in learning music. That move did cost Guruji 15 years of Service Zone Seniority and the potential benefits associated with that seniority. Seniority used to be a big deal in case of Government jobs. It was a difficult, but conscious, decision that Guruji took to advance his journey in music. 

The Student becomes a Teacher

          In Mumbai, Guruji started learning Hindustani Classical vocal music from Pandit Narayanrao Vyas. Pandit Narayanrao Vyas (1902–1984) was a Hindustani Classical musician of Gwalior Gharana. He was a disciple of Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar. Guruji continued learning, and later started teaching at the Vyas Sangeet Vidyalaya (Dadar, Mumbai) till the year 1970. Guruji was a resident member at the Vyas Sangeet Vidyalaya. Vyas Sangeet Vidyalaya was established in June, 1937 by the musician brothers Pandit Shankarrao Ganesh Vyas and Pandit Narayanrao Ganesh Vyas. Both the brothers were the disciples of Pandit Vishnu Digamber Paluskar.

Learning Never Stops

          Next, Guruji, learnt Hindustani Classical vocal music from Guni Gandharva Pandit Laxman Prasad Jaipurwale over a period of around 5 years. Later in his life, Guruji returned to his homeland Odisha and started his music school Gandhrava Sangeet Kalapith in Puri. Guruji trained many disciples in Hindustani Classical vocal music and Tabla.

Author's Notes

My Journey with Guruji

          My association with Guruji, Pandit Nilakantha Mishra, when I look back, I see, was short. I learnt Tabla in Delhi (Dilli) Gharana under his direct guidance during the period between 1993 and 1997. Our beloved Guruji is no more. Over the past years, I have always wanted to create a summary biography of Guruji. Life, however, kept me too busy to achieve that important goal. I noticed that not many people, at least in Odisha, knew about Guruji. And, that was a source of discomfort for me.

Guru Pandit Nilakantha Mishra, his close friend legendary Gwalior Gharana vocalist Guru Pandit J.V.S. Rao (a disciple of pandit Vinayakrao Patwardhan), and Guruji’s disciples (including the author of this post) at Gandhrava Sangeet Kalapith (Puri, Odisha, India) on the occasion of Guru Purnima during early 90s. Update 23 August, 2020: And, the legacy still continues. Guruji's desciple gurubhaai Guru Shri Jaminikanta Mishra, also seen in the picture above, is continuing to spread Guruji's vidya through Gandhrava Sangeet Kalapith, Puri. View Photo Gallery[Link]

Source of Inspiration

          I have always been pleasantly surprised to notice how much knowledge Guruji could gather, practice and transmit in just one lifetime. And, it's not just about the volume of his knowledge, but the diversity in that, as well. This informal summary biography of Guruji, I anticipate, will remain a work in progress for sometime, as I continue to talk to his family members and acquaintances to gather more information. I hope, this summary biography of Guruji becomes one of the sources of inspiration for many.

The Crucial Conversation

          I vividly remember my very first interaction with Guruji when I joined his school to learn Tabla. He asked me, "would you be able to put in the effort that learning this stream of Vidya demands?". And, then, Guruji smiled a little and said, "This is a Gandharva Vidya, originally created by the Gandharvas to be taught, learnt and practised by the Gandharvas. If we, the human beings, want to learn this Vidya, we will be required to put in at least three times the effort that we would put to learn a Vidya created by the human beings to be taught, learnt and practised by the human beings".

Note: As per Hindu Mythology, Gandharvas are the singers (Musicians) in the court of Gods. They are knowledgeable in all of the 64 performing arts. Gandharva in general refers to a species of heavenly musicians or celestial singers.

Great Expectations

          After about two years from when I started my Tabla training, Guruji once asked me, "Are you willing to make this Vidya an exclusive source of your livelihood? I would like to know; for, I have great expectations from you". I was probably too young, may be uncertain, to deliver a definitive answer.

Not only a Sound Mind

          I have observed that Guruji was very passionate about physical fitness and an active life. He was slim, strong, absolutely agile and full of energy till the very last stage of his life. To encourage us to embrace physical fitness, he used to mention his physical fitness routine, which he called The Daily Dozen - a set of 12 different physical exercises, that he used to practice while he was young.

His Caring Focus

          Here is an another event, which reflects another side of Guruji's personality, I vividly remember. One day, Guriji visited our home. Our home in Puri was hardly 20 feet away from Gandhrava Sangeet Kalapith. While he spoke with my mother, he mentioned, 'Tabla Riyaz (practice) leads to development of a stronger appetite for food and a healthier body and mind'. He potentially, as I understand it, tried to ensure sustainability of my Tabla learning and practice by making the incentives clear to that individual who valued those incentives the most.  

It's Merit that Mattered

          Guruji was a strong believer of meritocracy. He strongly believed in investing his time, energy and attention in those disciples who demonstrated significant degree of progress thanks to their hard work, ability to learn, continuous practice, attention to details, desire to excel, desire for continuous improvement and respect for quality. For, he believed, this Gandharva Vidya would survive and flourish only in the capable hands and minds. 

I Invite You

          I have been so fortunate to get an opportunity in this life to experience the Tabla, the Indian Tabla Tradition, the Indian Guru-Shishya Paramparaa (The Teacher-Disciple Tradition), Hindustani Classical Music, how a music school works and how life looks like in a music school. This experience I believe is invaluable and the journey, incredible. And, my certificates listed below just can't capture the experience and the journey enough. My Guru was extraordinary and inspirational. I have been absolutely ordinary. Even though I didn't progress much in this amazing journey, still, I could experience all these and become a part of this incredible journey. If I could, anyone could, I believe. I invite you to experience these and become a part of this journey. Let's, together, keep these wonderful things alive. Music makes the world a better place one note at a time. With music, you can change the world; at least, the way it sounds.

Tabla, Madhyamaa Pratham (Intermediate Part I), Apr 1997, First Class, Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal

Tabla, Praveshikaa Poorna (Elementary Part II), May 1996, First Class with Vishesh Yogyataa (Distinction), Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal

Tabla, Praveshikaa Pratham (Elementary Part I), March 1995, First Class with Vishesh Yogyataa (Distinction), Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal