Ragini Trivedi

Ragini Trivedi
Dr. Ragini Trivedi
Background information
Birth name	Ragini Trivedi
Also known as	Ragini Misra
Born	(1960-03-22) March 22, 1960
Genres	Indian classical music
Occupation(s)	Academician, Sitar player, Vichitra Veenaplayer, Jal tarang player, Writer,Composer

Dr. Ragini Trivedi (1960 - ) M.Mus., D.Mus., Surmani is Indian Classical musician performing on Vichitra Veena, Sitar and Jal Tarang. Daughter of Vichitra Veena virtuoso Dr. Lalmani Misra, she is an exponent of Misrabani and is the creator of digital notation system, Ome Swarlipi. Aesthete and academic by heritage and training, she works for preservation of Indian musical heritage through practice. She presents performances, delivers lectures, conducts workshops and writes books to draw attention to rigors and principles of this ancient art-form, that hold true even in modern practices.

Music Heritage

Ragini Trivedi's father, Lalmani Misra, was born in the 1920s and became a singer and instrumentalist who performed dhrupad and khyal, played eight instrument including sitar, santoor, tabla and revived the vichitra veena by innovating new playing technique. Lalmani Misra was a performing musician and an academic, who served as Dean of the Faculty of Performing Arts at Banaras Hindu University, where he worked as a teacher and administrator, until his death in 1979. He was also a visiting Professor at department of South Asian Music Studies in Penn University, Philadelphia from 1969. His son Gopal Shankar Misra served in the same faculty as his father at B.H.U. and was instrumental in carrying on the tradition of Vichitra Veena performance, Misrabani technique and academic pursuits.

Growing up

Ragini was born a younger sibling to Gopal, in Kanpur, India in 1960. Their mother Padma, who studied literature was also interested in music. After the family moved to Varanasi, they stayed on second floor at Rewa Kothi, where Pt. Omkarnath Thakur had his quarters on the ground floor. Students of music learning with Pt. Thakur and Dr. Misra, too stayed in the same building. Surrounded by and growing up with music, both aesthetics and academics of music helped refine their sensibilities. Later when they lost both parents within two years, Ragini and brother Gopal drew strength from their inheritance of music practice and scholarship. A multi-faceted student, Ragini participated in sports like basket-ball, table-tennis; was interested in dramatics and extension activities. Her natural excellence influenced her teachers to guide her towards playing musical instruments. Her music teacher, Vanmala Parvatkar encouraged Ragini to play Jaltarang.

Maturing

As father Dr. Lalmani Misra had to leave the children for long periods while he taught at Penn, he would record lessons so that they could keep practicing Raga-s in their syllabus the right way. In these lesson recording sessions Chhotelal Mishra disciple of Pandit Anokhelal Mishra, accompanied Gopal and Ragini. During his stay in India he would teach music to students both at university and at home. Some of them stayed as part of family, e.g. Ananda Shankar, Uday Shankar's son who learnt Sitar and Composition, Omprakash Chourasiya who learnt Santoor and orchestration and Laxmi_Ganesh_Tewari who trained as vocalist. Students visiting from abroad, too would stay with the family. Ragini's mother died of cancer on 5 April 1977. Father, Lalmani Misra, took the children around the country, performing and meeting academics and musicians. After his death in July 1979 Ragini continued her pursuit of music, getting B.H.U. gold medal in M.Mus. (1980) and completing D. Mus. under her guide, Dr. K. C. Gangrade in 1983. For some time she taught at Banaras Hindu University and after her marriage taught undergraduate and postgraduate students at government colleges at Hoshangabad, Rewa and Indore.

The Performer

The first instrument Ragini played on stage was Sitar. She was invited to present recital at Suprabha, an event organized under leadership of Pt. Kishan Maharaj. In 1982, she played at Arambh festival in Bhopal. Over the years, she would visit Varanasi to learn with brother Gopal Shankar Misra and mastered the Misrabani technique. Oriented by belief in sublimation of artiste in the Art, she spaced her recitals, performing selectively on stage, radio and television. She played in several cities from Varanasi, Kanpur, Mysore, Chandigarh to Gwalior, Indore, Pune, Mumbai but it is Bhopal audience that heard her play all three instruments. Ragini played Sitar at Arambh in 1982, at Madhukali in 1986, 1994 and still five years later in 1999. December 2006 saw her perform Jal tarang at Prathama Festival hosted by Manav Sangrahalaya and Bharat Bhawan in collaboration with Madhukali invited her in January 2013 to present Vichitra Veena recital. For her ability to play three instruments involving disparate gestures and techniques, she has been hailed, “Trivadini”. Her composition, ‘’’Shodash Pushp’’’ or ‘16 Pearls’ (originally unveiled at a seminar organized by Bhatkhande Deemed Music University at Lucknow in 2005) a non-stop string of sixteen compositions in sixteen different Raga-s, starting from sixteen consecutive beats on Trital has been hailed by aficionados, musicians and scholars for stringing together sixteen different Raga-s starting consecutively from a different beat.

Misrabani Exponent

At present, Ragini is the sole exponent and teacher of Misrabani. This is a special technique and style innovated and practiced by father Dr. Lalmani Misra involving a new form of Gatkari (rhythmic stroke patterns) in Vilambit Jhoomara Tal, Vilambit Jhap Tal and Madhya-laya Ada Char Tal. In this new style Dr. Misra introduced Mizrab Bol DA RDA -R DA. Especially, in Vilambit pace, the oblique rhythm patterns – Da Rda -R Da -- manifest a very different dimension of Raga. With over three decades of playing and composing in this style, Ragini creates and plays complex Misrabani compositions on all three instruments in Audav, Shadav and Sampoorna Raga-s. It was for this unique ability to portray ‘Sitar gatkari’ in her presentation that she was recognized as the first woman player of Jal tarang to do so. She prefers to play compositions in hexa- and hepta-tonic Raga-s like Sindoora, Gauri, Shree, Shyam Bihag, Madhukali, Sameshwari, Malgunji, Bagehsri, Kafi, Lalit, Madhu Bhairav, Ahir Bhairav, Kaushi Bhairava, Jog, Jog Kauns, Suha, Nayaki Kanhada, Hemant. She has performed varieties of Bilawal – Devgiri, Yamini, Sarparda etc. Audience have appreciated her rendering of penta-tonic raga-s like Narayani, Jait, Durga, Abhogi, Bairagi, Chandra Kauns, Malkauns, Madhukauns, Vibhas, Triveni, Bhupal Todi equally well. The choice is directed by her desire to bring the half-forgotten and lesser-practiced Raga-s to fore.

The Guru

Apart from formal teaching, Dr. Ragini Trivedi has trained students through intense learning sessions. She was requested to train four scholarship students in Jal tarang for two years under Guru Shishya Parampara Scheme by South Central Zone Cultural Center, Nagpur. Individual students from across the globe learn Sitar, Santoor, Vichitra Veena with her. Requested by Center for Cultural Resource & Training, New Delhi to conduct a workshop for talented children receiving scholarships, she trained 25 children for a week in November 2011 and their orchestra-presentation ‘’’Ekakar’’’ was well received. Dr. Trivedi has designed and conducted workshops in Jaipur, Pune, Bhopal etcetera to train musicians in techniques of Misrabani and learning the Misrabani style of Composition.

Innovator

In a conference in 2007, she presented a new notation system, Ome Swarlipi. This notation system based on amalgamation of Bhatkhande notation system and Paluskar system, incorporated several feature suitable for digital adaptation. They also featured symbols to annotate complex Misrabani compositions. Since publication of her book, “Sitar Compositions in Ome Swarlipi” in 2010, non-Indian learners find learning Indian classical music faster using Ome Swarlipi. She collaborated with developer son Terence Tuhinanshu to make the digital notation system freely available to all users on Writer portal of omescribe.com. She has also developed several digital tools to illustrate inter-relationship of notes, Bharat Chatuh Sarana etceterea.

Writer

Dr. Trivedi has written research papers and articles on theory, practice and innovation in music. She has collaborated in creation of compendium and anthologies acting as contributor and editor. She was also instrumental in bringing out subsequent editions of her father’s seminal book on Indian musical instruments – Bharatiya Sangeet Vadya adding a chapter on electronic Indian musical instruments created since 70's.

Following books have been published to date.

Raga Vibodh: Misrabani. Hindi Madhyam Karyanvaya Nideshalaya: Delhi. 2010.

Sitar Compositions in Ome Swarlipi. ISBN-13: 978-0557705962. 2011

Raga Vibodh: Misrabani Vol. 2. Hindi Madhyam Karyanvaya Nideshalaya: Delhi. 2013.

Music Critic & Heritage Expert

Ragini Trivedi has reviewed music and music events for journals and new-papers. She contributes in documentation of current practices by discussing individual practice and traditional style with musicians. Some of these discussions have been presented as documentary films by Educational Multimedia Research Center, Indore.

Gentle Tinkle, Magical Music 22 minutes

Indian Melodies: Rarer the Sweeter 24 minutes

Shankar Guitar 18 minutes

Sarangi: Kabhi Karun Kabhi Shokh 26 minutes

Thumri 23 minutes

Ritugeet 21 minutes

Surbahar: Ek Gambheer Vadya 22 minutes

Durlabh Swar ki Khoj- 1 29 minutes

Durlabh Swar ki Khoj- 2 31 minutes

These discussions involve Ustad Moinuddin Khan, Pt. Rajshekhar Mansur, Dr. Sharada Velankar, Pt. Pushpraj Koshthi, Dr. Kamala Shankar, Vidushi Kalpana Zokarkar among others.

Dr. Trivedi serves as an expert on board of several state and national level bodies and organizations.

Professional Acclaim

1. Pt. Omkarnath Thakur Estate Award, 1980
2. J.R.F. Scholarship, 1981-83
3. SURMANI -- Sur Singar Samsad, Bombay, 1985
4. “Best Expert” XVII annual UGC-CEC award 2004
5. Senior Research Fellowship, Ministry of Culture, 2005-7

Sources

1. Brahaspati, Saubhagyvardhan in “Prathama: 4th Brahaspati Sangeet Samaroh at Chandigarh” http://omenad.net/articles/4brahaspati.htm
2. Jal Tarang Guru Guru Shishya Parampara Scheme, South Central Zone Cultural Center, Nagpur
3. Jal Tarang: The Tinkle that EnchantsInterview based article on Dr. Ragini Trivedi and Jal Tarang.
4. Book Release: Commitment to Hindi and Knowledge
5. Raga-Rupanjali. Ratna Publications: Varanasi. 2007. A collection of Compositions of Sangeetendu Dr. Lalmani Misra by Dr. Pushpa Basu.

External links

1. Online Music Education
2. Dr. Ragini Trivedi
3. Raga Vibodh: Misrabani Vol. 2. Dr. Ragini Trivedi. Hindi Madhyam Karyanvaya Nideshalaya: Delhi. 2013.
4. Raga Vibodh: Misrabani. Dr. Ragini Trivedi. Hindi Madhyam Karyanvaya Nideshalaya: Delhi. 2010.
5. Sitar Compositions in Ome Swarlipi. Dr. Ragini Trivedi. 2010.
6. ‘’Shruti Veena: The Sound Link”
7. Devotion: Ritual in Earnest
8. Sangeetendu Pandit Lalmani Ji Misra: Ek Pratibhavan Sangeetagya, Tewari, Laxmi Ganesh. Swar Sadhana, California, 1996.
9. Shruti Aur Smriti:Mahan Sangeetagya Pandit Lalmani Misra, Chourasiya, Omprakash, Ed. Madhukali Prakashan, Bhopal, August 1999.
10. Sangeetendu Acharya Lalmani Misra. Vidushi Premlata Sharma
11. Sindura on Vichitra Veena, a short movie clip on Online Music Education
12. Celestial Music of Pandit Lalmani Misra. DVD. Santa Rosa, California: Svar Sadhana, 2007.
13. Links to musical pieces
14. Madhukali -- Organization in memory of Sangeetendu Dr. Lalmani Misra dedicated to Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage