Manju Mehta

Vidushi[1] Manju Mehta (born Manju Bhatt;[2] 1945[3]) is an Indian classical sitar player.[4]

Manju Mehta
Manju Mehta at Gujarat Vishwakosh Trust; February 2020
Manju Mehta at Gujarat Vishwakosh Trust; February 2020
Background information
Born (1945-05-21) 21 May 1945
GenresIndian classical music
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Sitar

Early life and family

Mehta was born in Jaipur to Manhohan and Chandrakalav Bhatt.[5] She grew up in a family of musicians; both of her parents were accomplished musicians, with her mother studying with several court musicians.[2] Her older brother Shashi Mohan Bhatt and younger brother Vishwa Mohan Bhatt would both be recognized as pandits later in life.[6][7]

Sashi Mohan, a student of Ravi Shankar,[6] was his sister Manju's first sitar teacher.[2] After winning two consecutive State and Central Government scholarships, she was given the opportunity to study under sarod player Pandit Damodar Lal Kabra, a disciple of Ali Akbar Khan[8] and Shankar.[2]

While studying and recording[9] with Kabra, Mehta began performing, competed in the All India Radio competition, and earned her master's degree in music.[2] During one performance, she met tabla player Nandan Mehta, a student of Kishan Maharaj and exponent of the Banaras gharana.[10] Manju and Nandan would later marry,[2] having two daughters—Poorvi and Hetal, who respectively play sitar and tabla—before Nandan's death in 2010.[10]

Career

After marrying Nandan and the births of her two children, Mehta did not perform for almost a decade before, in 1980, she was accepted (like her earlier teachers Bhatt and Kabra) to study with Ravi Shankar.[2]

Mehta is a Top grade classical instrumentalist,[11] the highest grade of musicians in All India Radio's rating system.[12] She is the co-founder of Saptak school of music @ Saptak trustSaptak Festival of Music held every year in Ahmedabad.[13]

Awards

References

  1. "The sitar from different angles (Pt. 2): Modern players, global experiments". Darbar Arts Culture and Heritage Trust. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  2. Banerjee, Meena (8 March 2019). "The indomitable spirit and quiet dedication of sitarist Manju Mehta". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  3. Service, Tribune News. "Sitarist Manju Mehta gets Tansen Samman". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  4. "news/33634.html". Earth Times. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  5. "Manju Mehta | Learn Indian Classical Music Online - Sharda.org". Sharda Music. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  6. "Sitar maestro Pandit Shashi Mohan Bhatt passes away". India Today. 4 August 1997. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  7. "Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt returns to stage after crucial head surgery with a concert in Chandigarh - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  8. Amarendra Dhaneswhar (6 February 2011). "Celebrating a legacy". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  9. Bhattacharya, Deben (producer and recording); Kabra, Damodarlal (sarod); Bhatt, Manju (sitār); Sharma, Subodh (tablā); Kabra, Kumari (tamburā) (1971). The sitār of India. London: Argo. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  10. Correspondent, dna (23 September 2012). "Pt Nandan Mehta's legacy relived in Ahmedabad". DNA India. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  11. Prasar Bharati—All India Radio, Ahmedabad (1 January 2020). "Annual List of Music Artists of All India Radio: Ahmedabad" (PDF).
  12. "Music Auditions | Prasar Bharati". prasarbharati.gov.in. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  13. "Ahmedabad sways to serene sitar tunes". Ndtv.com. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  14. "Sitarist Manju Mehta gets 'Tansen Samman'". 26 December 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  15. Joshi, Arvind, ed. (July 2016). ""Dr. Dhirubhai Thakar Savyasachi Saraswat Award" Function Organized by the Gujarat Vishwakosh Trust, Ahmedabad at Ahmedabad". Yatkinchit (The In-house Magazine of Gujarat Raj Bhavan). Vol. 2, no. 3. Ahmedabad: Gujarat Raj Bhavan. p. 64. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
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