Manju Mehta

Indian sitar player (1945–2024)

Nandan Mehta
​
(date missing)​
Musical artist

Vidushi[1] Manju Mehta (born Manju Bhatt;[2] 21 May 1945 – 20 August 2024) was an Indian classical sitar player.[3]

Background

Mehta was born on 21 May 1945 in Jaipur,[4] 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]

Mehta died on 20 August 2024, at the age of 79.[11]

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 was a top grade classical instrumentalist,[12] the highest grade of musicians in All India Radio's rating system.[13] She was the co-founder of Saptak school of music @ Saptak trustSaptak Festival of Music held every year in Ahmedabad.[14]

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. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ "news/33634.html". Earth Times. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  4. ^ Service, Tribune News. "Sitarist Manju Mehta gets Tansen Samman". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Manju Mehta | Learn Indian Classical Music Online - Sharda.org". Sharda Music. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  6. ^ a b "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. ^ a b Correspondent, dna (23 September 2012). "Pt Nandan Mehta's legacy relived in Ahmedabad". DNA India. Retrieved 30 September 2021. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  11. ^ "Sitarist Vidushi Manjuben Mehta passes away in Ahmedabad". Desh Gujarat. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  12. ^ Prasar Bharati—All India Radio, Ahmedabad (1 January 2020). "Annual List of Music Artists of All India Radio: Ahmedabad" (PDF).
  13. ^ "Music Auditions | Prasar Bharati". prasarbharati.gov.in. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Ahmedabad sways to serene sitar tunes". Ndtv.com. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  15. ^ "Sitarist Manju Mehta gets 'Tansen Samman'". 26 December 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  16. ^ 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.
  • Manju Mehta discography at Discogs