Pt. Vinayak Torvi: Celebrating 75 years of musical excellence

The soil of Dharwad is said to be special as it has produced musicians such as Sawai Gandharva, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Vidushi Gangubai Hungal, Pt. Mallikarjun Mansoor, Pt. Kumar Gandharva, and Pt. Vasavraj Rajguru. Pt. Vinayak Torvi also hails from the same place. Born into the family of Harikatha Vidwan Keertan Kesari Malhar Rao Torvi on the auspicious day of Ganesh Chaturthi, September 4, 1948, he belongs to the musical lineage of Dharwad. While Pt. Vinayak Torvi’s robust rendering of khayal leaves music lovers awe-struck, his rendition of light pieces music captivates them for his artistic insight and neatly enunciated lyrical content.

Trained in the rigorous Gurukula system, Vinayak Torvi received his initial training from Gururao Deshpande and later from Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. He earned a Masters degree in Music from the Karnataka University, Dharwad, where he was trained under Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur, Pt. Vasavraj Rajguru and Gangubai Hangal. He also has an Honorary Doctorate from Dr. Gangubai Hangal Music and Performing arts university, Mysuru. Pt. Vinayak Torvi also has some of the prestigious awards to his credit — the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Arya Bhatta International Award and the Kirana Gharana Award. Having learned from some of the musical greats, Pt. Vinayak Torvi groomed many disciples, who have become full-fledged performing artistes.

To celebrate his 75th brith anniversary and a life filled with music, his disciples and well-wishers had recently organised ‘Amrut Mahotsava’, by featuring music concerts by eminent musicians such as N. Rajam, Pt. Yogesh Shamsi, Pt. Ram Deshpande, and Vidushi Ashwini Bhide.

After celebrating the occasion with a series of concerts at Pune, Mumbai, Dharwad, Varanasi, San Francisco (USA) and Bengaluru, the final stopover was at the India International Centre, in Delhi on September 21. It featured Pt. Nayan Ghosh and Pt. Vinayak Torvi’s disciple Dattatreya Velankar.

Pt. Vinayak Torvi, known for his khayal renditions, remembers his training years under different gurus and how he incorporates the style of different gharanas in his singing. Excerpts from an interview.

Pt. Vinayak Torvi mastered the art of blending the styles of different gharanas
| Photo Credit:
Photo courtesy: Dhananjay Hegde.

Question: Being born into the family of Pt. Malhar Rao Torvi, the Harikatha vidwan keertankar, what do you think was beneficial to you, as a classical vocalist?

Answer: That was the first and the most important step in my musical journey. I was lucky not only to be born into the family of a Keertankar but also had an opportunity to learn the intricacies of keertan rendering directly from my father. Keertan Kala (the art of Keertan) is a folk art, which is the basis for classical music. Many Raag-Raginis have originated from the Keertan base. Keertan Kala encompasses all the sentiments of Ashta-Pilu, including singing, instrument playing, dance, drama, bhava, laya, layakari, and tarana. It is said that in Gwalior Gharana the music aspirants were taught Keertan as the first step to learn music. My father had a natural flair for the Keertan kala and I was fortunate to have him as my first music guru.

Q:Your guru, Gururao Deshpande, belonged to Gwalior gharana, while Pt. Bhimsen Joshi the Kirana gharana. How did you cope with the difference as a young student?

Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, under whom Pt. Torvi learnt the Kirana gharana gayaki.
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The Hindu Archives

A: The Gwalior gharana is the fountainhead of all the gharanas. It has the innate ability to absorb and incorporate the finest attributes of other gharanas including the Kirana gharana. I was fortunate to learn under two gurus without much difficulty, as Pt. Bhimsen Joshi was closely associated with Gururao Deshpande, who in turn was closely associated with Ustad Abdul Karim Khan Saheb, the crown jewel of Kirana gharana. He used to lend vocal support to Khan Saheb during his concerts. That is how the Kirana gharana gayaki had influenced Gururao’s gayaki (singing style). And this parampara was instrumental in my feeling equally at ease with both Gwalior and Kirana.

Q:Besides Gwalior and Kirana, your singing style also carry shades of Jaipur and Agra gharanas. How did you blend these into your gayaki?

A: My guru Gururao Deshpande was a great fan of Ustad Faiyaz Khan Saheb of Agra Gharana, and was also a close associate of Kesarbai Kerkar, the doyenne of Jaipur gharana. So, he incorporated the finest aspects of both these gharanas into his singing style, making his renditions unique. Therefore, I got a readymade combination of all the gayaki styles from Gururao Ji himself.

Q:While pursuing your master’s at Karnataka University, you learned under Pt. Mallikarjun Mansoor, Pt. Basavraj Rajguru and Vidushi Gangubai Hangal. Did that help you in crafting your own style or confuse you?

Gangubai Hangal was known as an exponent of khayal rendition, a genre of Hindustani classical music from Karnataka.
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THE HINDU ARCHIVES

A: It was a rare and golden opportunity for me to have trained in different gharanas under one roof. I learned from these stalwarts raags that were part of the syllabus, but were not taught to me by Gururao Deshpande Ji. There was no question of confusion as a student, as I was already familiar with both the gharanas under the tutelage of Gururao Deshpande. My exposure to them at Karnataka University helped me in further fine-tuning my music.

Q:Tell us about including vachanas, Devarnamas, bhajans and Marathi Abhangs in your music repertoire. And where do you source them from?

A: I received training in classical music under Gururao Ji, but I was inspired by Pt. Bhimsen Joshi’s style of singing abhangs, bhajans and Devaranamas. I learned Vachan singing from Mansur Ji and Vasavras Rajguru Ji while I was training under them at Karnataka University.

Q:How would you define your gayaki?

A: I consider aalap as the soul of my concert; laya and layakari as the brain, and voice as the connecting link. I can adapt my voice to suit the style of different gharanas thus enabling a wide range of rasikas to enjoy my music.

Pt. Vinayak Torvi at a concert.
| Photo Credit:
Photo courtesy: Dhananjay Hegde.

The intelligence of an artiste lies in choosing appropriate raags. Apart from training under an able guru, proper riyaaz and hard work, an artiste should have the skill to to tailor the concert befitting the occasion. My philosophy is to sing to the best of my ability within the allotted time, regardless of the size of the audience. Besides, being a guru has benefitted me in my musical journey as I learn many new things while I teach!