Mallikarjun Mansur Doyen of Music

I was reading about Mallikarjun Mansur , the great doyen of Hindustani Art Music and is life in the book Rasa Yatra. The book translated from Kannada by his son Rajashekhar Mansur is written simply, with depth and authenticity. Just like the man and artiste. As a musician, Mansurji didnt become a full fledged performer till he was about 40-45. He spent about 30 years just learning music from his gurue include Alladiya Khan saab son's Manji Khan saab and Burji Khan Saab. Mansurji was a staunch lingayat and devotee of shiva. He has given musical interpretations to several Vachanas of the mystic saint devotee of the bhakti tradition Akkhama devi and his guru were muslims. Another wonderful exhibition ot composite culture that perveaded the artistic realm the country. In my opinion one of the finest historians of modern India, Ramachandra Guha has captured that spirit so aptly in the below article.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mag/2003/01/05/stories/2003010500410300.htm

As the respected Indian buruecrat Sharada Prasad has "so many of our well-known authors and artists move about with a swagger for they seem to believe that they indeed are colossi striding the scene." Mallikarjun, by contrast, "did not care to be the centre of attraction. He was content to be inconspicuous. He continued to look like a shopkeeper's accountant. He did not speak like an oracle. He rarely referred to his triumphs ... He was wholly without envy. His was an unfailing geniality and lightness of heart. His airs were what he sang. He did not put on any.

We will be working on a project with Mr Shyam Benegal and Rajashekhar Mansur on an anecdote form his life in June.