Abstract:

Editor's note:
While his health was fast deteriorating, D.T. Joshi's ardent admirer and friend Dr Kalyan Bhattacharya of Burdwan requested Joshiji (as he was known) to write about the music and musicians he came across during his lifetime. Professor Joshi tried to avoid this request saying "Who seriously understands classical music or cares for the artistes of bygone days?". He added that the recent publications of memoirs on eminent artistes included denigrating attacks on other musicians. "What has personal character to do with music?" he wondered! This tendency on the part of authors and critics had pained him and discouraged him from writing anything. However at the insistence of Dr Bhattacharya he started to write down his memoirs. Unfortunately he died on September 28, 1993, shortly after starting them. Below is a translation by D.P Sen from the original manuscript which was published in Bengali in the journal Nothun Chithi (Autumn 1993:181-7) under the title "Sangeet o Sangeet Guni: Ekti Smrittikatha-Dhruva Tara Joshi, Smritir Kayek Pata" [A few pages from D.T. Joshi's Unfinished Memoirs].

I fell in love with music after listening to Ustad Enayat Khan's sitar recital for the first time in Lucknow. I decided then and there that I would learn from this legendary musician. I came to Calcutta from Lucknow and got admitted in a college there in 1930. The ustad [maestro] bestowed all his affection on me and I began to stay at his place at night. This happened not very long ago and many people know it. It was due to the ustad's affection and kindness that I was able to learn music along with my academic studies. Right from the start he gave me lessons in sitar as well as in vocal music: in our gharana [family-based musical tradition], talim [instruction, knowledge] in sitar should also have adequate training in vocal music. My ustad used to say "Patile me jabtak kuch hoga hi nahi to chamche se niklega kya?" [as long as the pot is empty, what's the use of dipping the ladle in it for soup?]. In fact, there has all along been a great importance attached to vocal music also in our system of sitar playing ­ that is why it was imperative to have training in vocal music also. I was then living with my cousin in Calcutta.  

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First Publication July 23, 1997 - This page updated October 8, 2004