Why Prithviraj Kapoor visited a music magazine office in Hathras

HATHRAS (UP): Sometime in the mid-1950s, actor Prithviraj Kapoor and his theatre troupe visited Hathras, a small town in west Uttar Pradesh, famous for its heeng (asafoetida) and ghee (clarified butter). He had come to stage two plays: Deewar and Paisa.But Kapoor, recalls Laxminarayan Garg, was also curious about Sangeet, a monthly magazine, focused mainly on Hindustani classical music, published from Hathras. “He came to our office with his young son, Shammi Kapoor (see pic above). I even played the sitar to honour him,” recalls editor-writer Laxminarayan, now 86, showing a black and white photograph that captured the occasion. medium67685886Sangeet was birthed in 1935 by Laxminarayan’s father, Prabhulal Garg, who later became wildly popular as poet Kaka Hathrasi (September 18, 1906-95). Few know that in 1958, he started an English monthly, Music Mirror. Contributors included dancer-choreographer Uday Shankar and film composer Vasant Desai. large67685985In the 1960s and 70s, north India was in love with Kaka’s rib-tickling, politically aware poetry published in collections such as Kaka Ki Kachhari, Kaka Ke Kartoos and Kaka Kola. With his trademark beard – whose date of origin is nebulous – Kaka was a star among young and old alike at poetry soirees and received awards as wide-ranging as a Padma Shri and an honorary citizenship of Baltimore. He passed away in 1995 but Sangeet, now 83 years of age, continues to survive, if not thrive. 67686112Kaka’s tryst with music began in 1932, three years before the first issue of Sangeet came out. He was only 26 and still known by his real name, Prabhulal Garg. “Kaka wanted to play the flute,” recalls his younger son, Mukesh. “Looking for help, he couldn’t find a single self-help book about either the flute or harmonium. So he took assistance from a friend and wrote a learn-it-yourself book, Music Master, where he gave numbers to the different keys of a harmonium.” The innovation worked. The book has since run into 26 editions. medium67686011The publishing house’s name, Garg and Co., was later changed to the wryly named Sangeet Karyalaya (Music Office), which has printed over 100 books on Indian music. “His knowledge of classical music was rudimentary. But his love for classical music was deep and abiding. In his prime, he used to receive decent fees from kavi sammelans. He would invest it in the magazine and the publishing house,” says Mukesh. medium67685995Sangeet’s first issue isn’t available at the music magazine’s office. A slice of heritage lost. But the second issue is an appealing medley of Indian literature and music: notations of ‘Ragini’ Bibhas, Raag Sohani, articles on the relationship between music and cinema, medieval poetess Meerabai, Urdu poet Daag, and more. medium67685909Sangeet was an important milestone in the history of Hindi magazines. “But at a time when Premchand’s neo-realist short stories and the chhayavadis were dominating the literary scene, few paid attention to a small magazine,” reasons Mukesh, who taught Hindi at Delhi University. Chhayawad can be broadly described as the romantic school of poetry in Hindi literature in the early decades of 20th century.In 1935, Sangeet was sold for three annas per issue. The latest issue costs Rs 40. In the past, the magazine was edited by well-known personalities, including Shashi Mohan Bhatt, elder brother of mohan veena maestro Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. medium67685926In its prime, 3,000 copies of Sangeet were published every month; now, the number is down to 2,000. Essays, criticisms, profiles, notations of film songs – the magazine featured them all. The annual issues of Sangeet remain a collector’s item: Bhairav Tthat (1955), Dhrupad-Dhamar (1964), Aalap-taan (1977), Musalman aur Bharatiya Sangeet (2013) and more. The special issues weren’t restricted to the classical: Ghazal (1967), Qawwali (1979), to give two examples.“The magazine enjoyed a high readership. We used to get so many letters. In fact, we had to send someone to the post office to collect them,” recalls Mukesh. The fan mail has since dipped. “But the next generation is ready to continue the family legacy. Sangeet will always go on,” says an optimistic Laxminarayan. But he does worry about the upkeep of the older issues that have turned yellow and brittle with time. “Somebody should help us digitize them,” he says. medium67686039The Gargs’ devotion to Hindustani music prompted visits from several stalwarts: sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, tabla wizards Kishan Maharaj and Samta Prasad, writer Amritlal Nagar and poet Gopal Singh Nepali. “I was Ravi Shankar’s shishya (pupil),” says Laxminarayan, who has also penned and translated several books on music.In his eighties, and fit, Laxminarayan doesn’t go to the office anymore but continues to be Sangeet’s chief editor. He also written remains passionately in love with Braj bhasha and its culture. medium67686136“I also produced and directed a feature film, Jamuna Kinare (1984), to preserve and promote its language and folk music,” he says. The film, made under the banner Kaka Hathrasi Films, had well-known character actors such as Abhi Bhattacharya and Satyen Kappu. medium67685964Anecdotes abound about Kaka. Most of them are related to his popularity – how kids would crowd around him at railway platforms, how his appearance money kept increasing at kavi sammelans. But there’s one story which beats others.Laxminarayan recalls that during a poetry soiree in dacoit-infested Morena, both Kaka and poet-politician Balkavi Bairagi were accosted by a bunch of rough and ready men and driven deep into the heart of Chambal’s ravines for a special poetry session. Kaka couldn’t fathom who they were but Bairagi, who belonged to Madhya Pradesh, understood the delicate situation. “He told Kaka not to panic, just obey the dacoits. After the recitation was over, they handed Kaka Rs 100. Kaka was initially wary but, at Bairagi’s urging, took the money. They were then driven back safely.” medium67689590Photos by Sanjay SekhriThe story was originally published on January 25, 2019