Rajan Mishra was golden voice of Banaras tradition

Covid mutes a classical vocalist who, with brother Sajan, represented the grand duet tradition in Hindustani music

Rajan-Sajan Mishra is how everyone knows the brothers from the shores of the river Ganga, their sonorous voices singing as one soul. This pair has been torn asunder by a sudden and tragic turn of fate. The pandemic claimed Rajan’s life in Delhi on April 25.

Pandit Rajan Mishra and Pandit Sajan Mishra held aloft the torch of the Banaras gharana in recent times, bringing it ever greater glory. They were born into music, belonging to a long lineage of musicians. Their grand-uncle and first guru Pandit Bade Ramdas Mishra was referred to as Gayanacharya. He had trained many great singers other than family members.

The brothers continued their musical training under their father Pandit Hanuman Prasad Mishra and uncle Pandit Gopal Mishra. Their speciality was khayal singing, but they also excelled at bhajans and the occasional thumri. They won many well-deserved accolades, the highest being the Padma Bhushan.

The brothers became primary representatives of classical duet singing, in the grand tradition of Nazakat-Salamat Ali Khan, Khan Bandhu, and Vinayakrao Patwardhan-Narayanrao Vyas. Their singing was complementary, each enhancing the other. They sang with impeccable timing, and uncanny intuition about each other’s ideas. The effect was mesmerising.

Rajan was gifted with a charismatic voice. The timbre and malleability of his voice allowed him to sing intricate patterns with consummate ease. It was also sweet, and capable of rendering the finest shades of tone, marking his uncompromising adherence to raga purity. This won him adulation from connoisseurs and novices alike.

Due to their pleasing personalities and ready smiles, the brothers were at their best during live concerts. One enduring image is from a morning concert in Chitrakala Parishat, Bengaluru. The main raga was Bhatiyar. The setting was serene, under a large tree, with the chirping of birds adding to the effect. Their rendition of ‘Uchat bhayi’ was sublime, bringing out the nuances of the raga beautifully. On another occasion, an afternoon concert in New Jersey, they presented Bhimpalasi, Shree and other ragas. The main piece ‘Ab to badi ber’ in Bhimpalasi still resonates in memory.

Their commercial records include a fantastic Multani (the drut ektaal cheez ‘Aangan mein Nandlal’ is similar to the canonical ‘Nainan mein aan-baan’), a memorable Durga (‘Jai jai jai Durge mata Bhavani’, also in drut ektaal), and so on. They sang a wide variety of ragas well, notable ones being Hameer, Jaijaiwanti, Chhayanat, Kamod, and Shree.

Rajan had a keen musical intellect and was a fine composer. He has created many bandishes, always dedicating them to his father and guru Hanuman Prasad Mishra. The brothers have set up a gurukul called ‘Viraam’ on the outskirts of Dehradun to impart training in pristine surroundings. It will remain one of their great legacies.

The emotive spectrum of conjoined voices of Rajan-Sajan Mishra made bhajans specially evocative. They sang them with great devotional fervour, and their album in the Bhaktimala series enjoyed immense popularity. Their Ram bhajan ‘Shree ram chandra kripalu’ is simply superb.

Friends say that Rajan had a jovial nature, and enjoyed the occasional joke heartily. In private, he was always smiling, down to earth, and came across as an open, guileless soul. These characteristics were reflected in his performances, marked by simplicity and joy, and a beatific smile perpetually on his face.

When you hear ‘Aaye sur ke panchhi aaye’, based on raag Malkauns, from Sur Sangam, you can truly picture a flock of surs descending on the stage. Rajan’s duet with Lata Mangeshkar ‘Jaaun tore charan kamal par vaari’, based on raag Bhoop, is fondly remembered to this day. His voice has made this an iconic soundtrack, with critical as well as popular appeal. It is heartbreaking to think that we have lost the voice of Sur Sangam so soon after we lost the voice of Shankarabharanam, S P Balasubrahmanyam, and to the same cruel disease. His absence will be sorely felt.