Shyam Benegal's 'Unusual Concerts': Rajshekhar Mansur as Mallikarjun Mansur: Ek Nishad Bihagda

Описание: बैरन रे
बिन प्यारे नाहीं चैन
कैसे कर मन समझाऊं....
आवत बीत गये अजहुं न आये बिरमन रे
चाहत मूरत बिन प्यारे...

This is not meant for any commercial purpose whatsoever and is only shared for wider propagation and reach, and to ensure it remains in circulation. It is not as widely known as it should be – even Shyam Benegal's Wikipedia page does not mention this. The rights, needless to say, vest with the original holders.

While the narrative is in Shyam Benegal's distinctive voice, this two-episode film, joined into one here, does not name the friend Mallikarjun Mansur stayed with. 

We, however, learn about a certain Mr Bengeri in Tejaswini Niranjana's "Musicophilia in Mumbai: Performing subjects & the metropolitan unconscious":

//

[Nilima] Kilachand [of the Sajan Milap forum] speaks of “a gentleman called Mr. Bengeri. He was a great fan of Mallikarjun Mansur. In fact, Pandit-ji used to stay in his house.”

TN: Where was that?

NK: Somewhere in Parle. It was a sort of small nondescript kholi with two or three rooms, but Pandit-ji was happy there. They [the musicians] were not even demanding in their expectations. Whenever Pandit-ji came here [to Mumbai] for a concert, Bengeri would organize a small mehfil in his house the next day or the day before the concert. And unbelievable music we’ve heard there. There were barely twenty to thirty people sitting there. He used to have a ground-floor flat, and the windows had these bars. There were people on the road who would stop and look [through] the bars and listen to the concerts. There was that kind of enthusiasm.

TN: When would this be, approximately?

NK: 1980s, very early ’80s.

And Bhimsen-ji for instance, until he passed away, was staying with a friend of ours called Kakubhai Khimji. And Kakubhai took advantage of that, not in a bad way. We have been to Kakubhai’s house at four in the morning. The concert would begin at four. Why? Because we don’t get to hear ragas of that prahar at that time. So there was no light. He lived all the way in Matunga. Bhimsen-ji agreed to do that sort of thing and he wanted to really sing these ragas. Then there were concerts that started at one thirty after lunch, so everyone got there at one thirty. There were concerts that started at nine at night. They were all-night concerts but got over at two to two thirty.

TN: These are all private baithaks?

NK: All private.

//

It is difficult not to try and want to join these dots with one Mr RH Bengeri who is credited with making available many of the published Mallikarjun Mansur recordings in sleevenotes of many of his albums and compilations issued in later years and much in  private collections that have eventually made it to the public domain are credited as "recorded at the Benegri residence."

Hear it in Mallikarjun Mansur's voice:    • Mallikarjun Mansur | Ek Nishad Bihagda | ब...  

   • Rajshekhar Mansur  
   • Mallikarjun Mansur  
   • Ek Nishad Bihagda