Sureshbabu Mane (1902– 15 February 1953) was a prominent
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. He was the son of a doyen of
Kirana Gharana
Kirana gharana is one of the Indian classical khyal gharanas, and is concerned foremost with perfect intonation of notes (swara).
Singing style
The central concern of the Kirana style is swara, or individual notes, in particular precise tuning ...
,
Ustad Abdul Karim Khan
Ustad Abdul Karim Khan (Devanagari: उस्ताद अब्दुल करीम ख़ान, Persian language, Persian: ) (11 November 1872 – 27 October 1937)Ustād Abdul Karim Khān and Tārābāi Māne. Tarabai was the daughter of Sardār Māruti Rāo Māne, a brother of princely
Baroda State
Baroda State was a state in present-day Gujarat, ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty of the Maratha Confederacy from its formation in 1721 until its accession to the newly formed Dominion of India in 1949. With the city of Baroda (Vadodara) as its c ...
's "
Rajmata
''Rajmata'' (''lit.'' king's mother) is an Indian term used for the mother of the head of a princely family in India.
Examples include
* Rajmata Jijau, mother of Shivaji
*Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia of Gwalior, mother of Madhavrao Scindia
* Raj ...
" during the middle of the 19th century.
Ustad Abdul Karim Khan
Ustad Abdul Karim Khan (Devanagari: उस्ताद अब्दुल करीम ख़ान, Persian language, Persian: ) (11 November 1872 – 27 October 1937)Baroda
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...
when Tarabai was young, and he taught her music. The two fell in love and decided to get married; but Tarabai's parents disapproved of the alliance, and the couple had to leave the state (along with Abdul Karim's brother, Ustād Abdul Haq Khān). The couple moved to
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
(
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
), and had two sons: Suresh or Abdul Rehmān, and Krishnā; and three daughters: Champākali, Gulāb, and Sakinā or Chhotutāi. In their adult lives, the five respectively became known as Sureshbābu Māne, Krishnarāo Māne, Hirābāi Badodekar, Kamalābāi Badodekar, and
Saraswati Rane
Saraswati Rane (October 4, 1913 - October 10, 2006) was an Indian classical singer in the Hindustani Classical genre. She was a daughter of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan (1872–1937), the founder of Kirana Gharana. Her family had a long and great mus ...
.
Sureshbabu had his initial training from his father, and later training from the doyen of Kirana Gharana, Ustād Abdul Wahid Khān.
Career
Along with performing in concerts he also has performed in several
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
plays, and movies.
Though not an accomplished actor, he acted in stage plays in the theatrical company formed by his younger sister Hirabai Barodekar. He appeared in plays like ''Sanyasa-kallol'' in the role of Ashwin Sheth and ''Subhadra'', where he played the lead of Arjun. Later he acted in a few films like ''
Amrit Manthan
''Amrit Manthan'' ( ''The Changes of Amrit'') is an Indian television soap opera, which premiered on 26 February 2012 and ran through 2 August 2013 on Life Ok. It is the story of two sisters who become each other's enemiesThis show was also b ...
'' (1934), '' Chandrasena'' (1935), ''Rajput Ramani'' (1936) by
Prabhat Films
Prabhat Film Company (popularly known as Prabhat Films) was an Indian film production company and film studios founded in 1929 by the noted film director V.Shantaram and his friends.
It was formed in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India in 1929, towar ...
and composed music for 'Savitri' (1936, lead role by Leela Pendharkar), ''Devyani'' and ''Sach Hai'' (1939) by Saraswati Cinetone. He also played instruments like
tabla
A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల ...
and
harmonium
The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...
Bhimsen Joshi
Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi BR (; ; 4 February 1922 – 24 January 2011), also known by the honorific prefix Pandit, was one of the greatest Indian vocalists from Karnataka, in the Hindustani classical tradition. He is known for the '' khaya ...
,
Vasantrao Deshpande
Vasantrao Deshpande (2 May 1920 – 30 July 1983) was a Hindustani classical vocalist renowned for his contribution to Natya Sangeet (musical dramas).
Early life
Vasantrao Deshpande was born into a Deshastha Brahmin family in Murtizapur, Ako ...
were influenced by Sureshbabu's music. Few of Sureshbabu's recordings are available today.
Thumri
Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dra ...
Bhajan
Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root word ''bhaj'' ...
. his singing was intelligent, tuneful, aesthetically rich, tender and balanced. His disciple and legendary Hindustani classical singer
Prabha Atre
Prabha Atre (born 13 September 1932) is an Indian classical vocalist from the Kirana gharana. She has been awarded all three of the Padma Awards by the Government of India.
Early life and education
Atre was born to Abasaheb and Indirabai Atre ...
written in her book Along Path of Music that, his music came through intuition, imagination and will power; not through hard labour. his sweet tone was the life of his singing. Deep yet delicate, it felt like a feather stroking the skin. his phrases were always rounded with neatly drawn curves and were laced with aesthetic embroidery through ''kan'' and ''khatkas''. His singing appeared to be very simple and easy, yet it was extremely difficult to imitate. He sang intricate phrases with such ease that one would seldom notice their complexity. He used to say "sing in such a way that after concert, your music eludes the memory of your audience. They should just be filled with the aura of the concert that lingers on". He was one of the few musicians in
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
of that period who was drawn to the Punjabi-style of
Thumri
Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dra ...
singing. His thumri singing was legendary and many artists have taken inspiration from that.
Prabha Atre
Prabha Atre (born 13 September 1932) is an Indian classical vocalist from the Kirana gharana. She has been awarded all three of the Padma Awards by the Government of India.
Early life and education
Atre was born to Abasaheb and Indirabai Atre ...
, two well-known classical music singers were among his important disciples.
Vasantrao Deshpande
Vasantrao Deshpande (2 May 1920 – 30 July 1983) was a Hindustani classical vocalist renowned for his contribution to Natya Sangeet (musical dramas).
Early life
Vasantrao Deshpande was born into a Deshastha Brahmin family in Murtizapur, Ako ...
, Pandit
Bhimsen joshi
Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi BR (; ; 4 February 1922 – 24 January 2011), also known by the honorific prefix Pandit, was one of the greatest Indian vocalists from Karnataka, in the Hindustani classical tradition. He is known for the '' khaya ...
,
Manik Varma
Manik Varma (16 May 1926 – 10 November 1996) was an Indian classical singer from the Kirana and Agra gharanas (singing styles).
Career
Besides the pure classical khyal, she also sang semi-classical and light music like thumri, Marathi Naty ...
,
Saraswati Rane
Saraswati Rane (October 4, 1913 - October 10, 2006) was an Indian classical singer in the Hindustani Classical genre. She was a daughter of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan (1872–1937), the founder of Kirana Gharana. Her family had a long and great mus ...
,
Vamanrao Deshpande
Vamanrao H. Deshpande (1907–1990; also known as Vaman Hari Deshpande) was an Indian music critic, musicologist and a prolific writer on the subject of Hindustani classical music.
Career
While he was a practising chartered accountant of fift ...
,
Basavaraj Rajguru
Pandit Basavraj Rajguru (24 August 1920 – 1991) was a leading Indian classical vocalist in the Kirana gharana (singing style).
Early life and training
Basavraj was born into a family of scholars, astrologers and musicians in Yaliwal, a ...
, Balasaheb Atre, Vitthalrao Sardeshmukh and Menaka Shirodkar also received guidance from Sureshbabu.
Legacy
Sureshbabu died on 15 February 1953 in Pune.Deshpande, p. 1 An annual music festival is held in Mumbai by his disciple Prabha Atre by the name ''Sureshbabu - Hirabai Smruti Sangeet Samaroh'' since 1992, becoming one of the major festival of music in the country .