‘Kalabharati’ and ‘Meera Music’ jointly presented Rajabhau Shembekar in a morning concert at Karnataka Sangh. Shembekar is an unknown quantity in this city. It was his debut performance and he gave a good account of himself. Classical music is not the monopoly of those born in the family of musicians, nor is it the sole preserve of the economically privileged. The 51-year-old singer who hails from a remote village called Aravali near Chiplun in the Konkan region of Maharashtra proved this point beyond doubt. Shembekar earns his living as a driver in the State Transport Corporation but has passion for music which has propelled him to learn from every available source and achieve competence sufficient to take the stage.
He began his working life as a truck driver and later found a secure job in the S.T. Corporation. "I have worked only in the night shift driving the bus from this city to Chimplun and from Chimpul back to Bombay. I did my rigorous practice of music during day time and have reached a stage where I could perform," he said.
Shembekar quoted the story of Eklavya from the Mahabharata. Eklavya did not receive any formal instruction in archery. He trained himself by completely dedicating himself to the purpose and became a formidable archer. Shembekar's parents were music lovers and his uncle had some training in the Jaipur gharana.The noted classical singer and actor Ram Marathe hailed form a nearby village and Shembekar had many opportunities to listen to Marathe's practice sessions.
There was a harmonium at his place and he learned to play it and began giving melodic accompaniment to the Kirtan singer Dattatraya Ghag." I learned a lot in the process. I also heard many live performances of Jitendra Abhisheki," he said. He also had some training from Shankarrao Deshpande from Kolhapur who was addressed as 'Nutan Gandharva’. "I must confess that I have no systematic training for a long duration which every classical singer is supposed to undergo," Shembekar worked hard on the considerable listening experience that he had gained and has become a competent singer that he is.
In this concert he sang the raga 'Shivmat Bhairav', Lalit and 'Brindabani Sarang'. What his music lacks is 'chaindari' or leisurely and systematic unfoldment of note structures. Yet, there is ebullience in him which is worth admiration. The influence of the kirtan tradition was unmistakable. It was music strongly reminiscent of the late Ram Marathe. He was accompanied on the tabla by Sai Banker and on the harmonium by Chandrashekhar.
A loss to music
Kamalakar Kulkarni, senior musicologist passed away in Poona at the ripe age of 92. He was a pupil of Dr S.N. Ratanjankar and K.G. Ginde. Kulkarni was often called the walking encyclopedia of raga music.Many noted singers took his guidance and he taught many students. He will be missed by the music community.