New Delhi: At the age of 74, one of the biggest figures behind India’s favorite music festival, Manju Mehta, is no more; she leaves a vacuum in the world of Indian classical music. Mehta was a front-ranking exponent on the sitar and organizer behind one of the most prestigious music festivals in the country. Her passing shook the fraternity of Indian classical music. It is her much greater contributions to the fostering and encouragement of young talent for the genre of classical music that has made her an iconic figure in the annals of Indian music.
Born on May 21, 1945, in Jaipur, Manju Mehta was born to live a life soaked in music. She was born into a family where music was not simply an art form; rather, it had emerged to be a way of living. Her parents, Manhohan and Chandrakalav Bhatt, were both high-order artists. The fact that her mother was unusually fortunate in having had the opportunity to learn from many of the court musicians must have thus helped shape the musical atmosphere in which Manju grew up.
This rich musical heritage was further enriched by her siblings—her elder brother Shashi Mohan Bhatt and her younger brother Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, both of whom would go on to be awarded the recognition of Pandit, a position of respect and honor within the sphere of classical music.
The formal musical journey of Manju Mehta started under the guidance of her brother, Shashi Mohan, who turned out to be a student of the legendary sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar. Under his tutelage, Manju quickly developed her skills at the sitar, clearly a sign of an ingrown talent soon setting her far apart.
Interest in the instrument and the craft was very early, as, subsequently, she won two consecutive scholarships from the State and Central Governments that underlined her budding talent and promise as a young musician.
These scholarships opened the window of opportunity for further studies under the great sarod player, Pandit Damodar Lal Kabra, himself a disciple of the great Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar. It was under the able guidance of Kabra that Manju Mehta learned to polish her skills and went on to explore further into the music domain.
The time with Kabra was not just one of a lot of learning but also one of personal and professional broadening. She would soon have a lot of performances under her belt, either by herself or in concert with other musicians. The fact that she won the All India Radio competition helped her establish the position of a rising star in the firmament of Indian classical music.
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It was at one of these concerts that she met Nandan Mehta, a truly brilliant tabla player and a disciple of the great Kishan Maharaj, an exponent of the Banaras Gharana. By an equal stroke of luck, both the musicians reached a deep connection, musical and personal, and later got married. They have two daughters, Poorvi and Hetal, who have taken up the legacy of their parents by playing the sitar and tabla, respectively.
The relationship Manju shared with Nandan Mehta was a personal alliance; it was also a professional collaboration that would leave its indelible mark on the world of Indian classical music. A shared interest in music and the zeal to encourage the budding talent of youth inspired the couple to launch one of India’s most popular music festivals. It established a channel later identified as a launch pad for new and budding artists as well as established ones. With the passing away of Manju Mehta, an era has ended, but through her music, her students, and the festival she so lovingly nurtured, a part of her continues to live.
