name	Utsav
director	Girish Karnad
producer	Shashi Kapoor
writer	Krishna Basrur, Girish Karnad (Screenplay)Sharad Joshi (Dialogue)
starring	RekhaAmjad KhanShashi KapoorShekhar Suman
music	Laxmikant Pyarelal
cinematography	Ashok Mehta
editing	Bhaudas Divakar
released	23 August 1984
runtime	145 min
country	India
language	Hindi
followed by	}}

''Utsav'' (Hindi: उत्सव; English: The Festival) is a 1984 Hindi film, produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Girish Karnad.

The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Rekha, Amjad Khan, Anuradha Patel, Shekhar Suman, Anupam Kher, Shankar Nag, Neena Gupta, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Annu Kapoor, Sanjana Kapoor and Kunal Kapoor.

The role played by Shashi Kapoor, who is also the producer of this movie, was originally to be played by Amitabh Bachchan. However, Bachchan later declined and therefore the producer himself decided to step up to fill in. The film's music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal and is still noted for its songs like, 'Man Kyun Behka', a rare duet by Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar, and Anuradha Paudwal's 'Mere Man Baje Mridang' for which she won the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award in 1985. Suresh Wadkar also has a song, 'Saanj Dhale Gagan Tale'.

Overview

The film is based on the adaptation on two classical Sanskrit plays, ''Charudatta'' by Bhāsa, which was later adapted by ''Śhudraka'' in 6 Century A.D. as ''Mrichakatika'' about the life of courtesan, Vasantasena (Rekha), and her chance meeting with a poor boy, Charudatta (Shekhar Suman) in Ujjain.

Cast

Shashi Kapoor....Samsthaanak

Rekha....Vasantsena

Amjad Khan....Vaatsyaayan and Sutradhar

Shankar Nag .... Sajjal, the thief

Kulbhushan Kharbanda .... Guru of Aryak, a revolutionary

Shekhar Suman....Chaarudutt

Neena Gupta .... Mandolika, courtesan slave in Vasantsena's house

Anuradha Patel .... Aditi, Chaarudutt's Wife

Anupam Kher .... Samsthaanak's friend

Annu Kapoor .... Masseur who is in the movie trying to be an ascetic

Sanjana Kapoor .... A daasi/courtesan slave in Vasantsena's house

Kunal Kapoor .... Aryak, the revolutionary.

Harish Patel .... Maitreya, Chaarudutt's friend.

Yunus Parvez .... One of the gamblers, who owns the masseur later on.

Satish Kaushik....Cart driver

Utsav Shah .... Civic driver

Soundtracks

! # !! Title !! Singer(s)
1	Mere Man Baaja Mridang Manjira	Aarti Mukherjee, Anuradha Paudwal, Suresh Wadkar
2	Man Kyon Behaka Re Behaka	Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle
3	Saanj Dhale Gagan Tale Hum	Suresh Wadkar
4	Neelam Pe Nabh Chhaye	Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle

Awards

1985 National Film Award for Best Art Direction: Nachiket Patwardhan, Jayoo Patwardhan

1985 Filmfare Best Lyricist Award: Vasant Dev - "Mann Kyun Behka"

1985 Filmfare Best Female Playback Award: Anuradha Paudwal - "Mere Man Baje Mridang"

External links

A study of film Utsav

Category:1984 films Category:Indian films Category:Hindi-language films Category:Indian art films

hi:उत्सव (1984 फ़िल्म) new:उत्सव (सन् १९८४या संकिपा)

region	India
era	19th to 20th Century
color	#B0C4DE
signature	sai
name	Sai Baba of Shirdi
birth date	Unknown
death date	October 15, 1918. }}

Sai Baba of Shirdi (Unknown – October 15, 1918), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba (, ), was an Indian guru, yogi, and fakir who is regarded by his Hindu and Muslim devotees as a saint. Many Hindu devotees - including Hemadpant, who wrote the famous ''Shri Sai Satcharitra'' - consider him an incarnation of Lord Krishna while other devotees consider him as an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya. Many devotees believe that he was a Satguru, an enlightened Sufi Pir, or a Qutub. No verifiable information is available regarding Sai Baba's birth and place of birth.

Sai Baba's real name is unknown. The name "Sai" was given to him upon his arrival at Shirdi, a town in the west-Indian state of Maharashtra. Mahalsapati, a local temple priest, recognized him as a muslim saint and greeted him with the words 'Ya Sai!', meaning 'Welcome Sai!'. ''Sai'' or ''Sayi'' is a Persian title given to Sufi saints, meaning 'poor one'. However ''Sāī'' may also refer to the Sanskrit term "Sakshat Eshwar" or the ''divine''. The honorific "Baba" means "father; grandfather; old man; sir" in Indo-Aryan languages. Thus Sai Baba denotes "holy father" or "saintly father".

Sai Baba remains a very popular saint, especially in India, and is worshipped by people around the world. He is claimed to have had no love for perishable things and his sole concern was self-realization. He taught a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner peace, and devotion to God and guru. Sai Baba's teaching combined elements of Hinduism and Islam: he gave the Hindu name ''Dwarakamayi'' to the mosque he lived in, practiced Hindu and Muslim rituals, taught using words and figures that drew from both traditions, and was buried in Shirdi. One of his well known epigrams, "''Sabka Malik Ek ''" ("One God governs all"), is associated with Islam and Sufism. He always uttered ''"Allah Malik"'' ("God is King").

Some of Sai Baba's disciples became famous as spiritual figures and saints, such as Mhalsapati, a priest of the Kandoba temple in Shirdi, and Upasni Maharaj. He was revered by other saints, such as Saint Bidkar Maharaj, Saint Gangagir, Saint Janakidas Maharaj, and Sati Godavari Mataji. Sai Baba referred to several saints as 'my brothers', especially the disciples of Swami Samartha of Akkalkot

Early years

Historians and devotees agree that there is no reliable evidence for a particular birthplace or date of birth. Various communities have claimed that he belongs to them, but nothing has been substantiated. It is known that he spent considerable periods with fakirs, and his attire resembled that of a Muslim fakir.

Little has been officially documented on the early life of Shirdi Sai Baba. An account of Shirdi Sai's missing childhood years has been reconstructed by his disciple Dasganu, after researching in the area around the village of Pathri. He collected this story in four chapters on Sai Baba, later also called the Sri Sai Gurucharitra. This account is largely overlapped by the narration by Sathya Sai Baba. Dasganu states that Sai Baba grew up in Pathri, with a fakir and his wife. Sathya Sai Baba states that this couple adopted him shortly after his birth. At the age of five, says Daganu, the fakir's wife put him in the care of the saintly desmukh Venkusha, where the boy stayed several years. Dasganu calls the young Sai Baba the reincarnation of Kabir. Because Daganu was known to take poetic liberties when telling stories about Sai Baba, and as there are no other sources to corroborate this story, it usually is left out of biographies of Sai Baba of Shirdi.

According to the book Sai Satcharita, Sai Baba arrived at the village of Shirdi in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, British India, when he was about 16 years old. He led an ascetic life, sitting motionless under a neem tree and meditating while sitting in an asana. The ''Shri Sai Satcharita'' recounts the reaction of the villagers:

The people of the village were wonder-struck to see such a young lad practicing hard penance, not minding heat or cold. By day he associated with no one, by night he was afraid of nobody.

His presence attracted the curiosity of the villagers, and he was regularly visited by the religiously inclined, including Mhalsapati, Appa Jogle and Kashinatha. Some considered him mad and threw stones at him. Sai Baba left the village, and little is known about him after that. However, there are some indications that he met with many saints and fakirs, and worked as a weaver. He claimed to have fought with the army of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. It is generally accepted that Sai Baba stayed in Shirdi for three years, disappeared for a year, and returned permanently around 1858, which suggests a birth year of 1838.

Return to Shirdi

In 1858 Sai Baba returned to Shirdi. Around this time he adopted his famous style of dress consisting of a knee-length one-piece robe (kafni) and a cloth cap. Ramgir Bua, a devotee, testified that Sai Baba was dressed like an athlete and sported 'long hair flowing down to the end of his spine' when he arrived in Shirdi, and that he never had his head shaved. It was only after Baba forfeited a wrestling match with one Mohdin Tamboli that he took up the kafni and cloth cap, articles of typical Sufi clothing. This attire contributed to Baba's identification as a Muslim fakir, and was a reason for initial indifference and hostility against him in a predominantly Hindu village. According to B.V. Narasimhaswami, a posthumous follower who was widely praised as Sai Baba's "apostle", this attitude was prevalent up to 1854 even among some of his devotees in Shirdi.

For four to five years Baba lived under a neem tree, and often wandered for long periods in the jungle around Shirdi. His manner was said to be withdrawn and uncommunicative as he undertook long periods of meditation. The ''Shri Sai Satcharita'' recounts the reaction of the villagers:

The people of the village were wonder-struck to see such a young lad practicing hard penance, not minding heat or cold. By day he associated with no one, by night he was afraid of nobody.

He was eventually persuaded to take up residence in an old and dilapidated mosque and lived a solitary life there, surviving by begging for alms, and receiving itinerant Hindu or Muslim visitors. In the mosque he maintained a sacred fire which is referred to as a dhuni, from which he gave sacred ashes ('Udhi') to his guests before they left. The ash was believed to have healing and apotropaic powers. He performed the function of a local hakim, and treated the sick by application of ashes. Sai Baba also delivered spiritual teachings to his visitors, recommending the reading of sacred Hindu texts along with the Qur'an. He insisted on the indispensability of the unbroken remembrance of God's name (dhikr, japa), and often expressed himself in a cryptic manner with the use of parables, symbols and allegories.

Sai Baba participated in religious festivals and was also in the habit of preparing food for his visitors, which he distributed to them as prasad. Sai Baba's entertainment was dancing and singing religious songs.

After 1910 Sai Baba's fame began to spread in Mumbai. Numerous people started visiting him, because they regarded him as a saint with the power of performing miracles, or even as an Avatar. They built his first temple at Bhivpuri, Karjat.

Teachings and practices

Sai Baba opposed all persecution based on religion or caste. He was an opponent of religious orthodoxy – Christian, Hindu and Muslim. Although Sai Baba himself led the life of an ascetic, he advised his followers to lead an ordinary family life.

In his personal practice, Sai Baba observed worship procedures belonging to Hinduism and Islam; he shunned any kind of regular rituals but allowed the practice of namaz, chanting of Al-Fatiha, and Qur'an readings at Muslim festival times. Occasionally reciting the Al-Fatiha himself, Baba also enjoyed listening to moulu and qawwali accompanied with the tabla and sarangi twice daily.

Sai Baba encouraged his devotees to pray, chant God's name, and read holy scriptures. He told Muslims to study the Qur'an, and Hindus to study texts such as the Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, and Yoga Vasistha. He advised his devotees and followers to lead a moral life, help others, love every living being without any discrimination, and develop two important features of character: faith (''Shraddha'') and patience (''Sabr''). He criticized atheism. In his teachings, Sai Baba emphasized the importance of performing one's duties without attachment to earthly matters, and of being content regardless of the situation.

Sai Baba interpreted the religious texts of both Islam and Hinduism. He explained the meaning of the Hindu scriptures in the spirit of Advaita Vedanta. His philosophy also had numerous elements of bhakti. The three main Hindu spiritual paths – Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Karma Yoga – influenced his teachings.

Sai Baba encouraged charity, and stressed the importance of sharing. He said: "Unless there is some relationship or connection, nobody goes anywhere. If any men or creatures come to you, do not discourteously drive them away, but receive them well and treat them with due respect. Shri Hari (God) will certainly be pleased if you give water to the thirsty, bread to the hungry, clothes to the naked, and your verandah to strangers for sitting and resting. If anybody wants any money from you and you are not inclined to give, do not give, but do not bark at him like a dog." Other favorite sayings of his were: "Why do you fear when I am here", and "He has no beginning... He has no end."

Sai Baba made eleven assurances to his devotees: # Whosoever puts their feet on Shirdi soil, their sufferings will come to an end. # The wretched and miserable will rise to joy and happiness as soon as they climb the steps of [the mosque] Dwarakamayi. # I shall be ever active and vigorous even after leaving this earthly body. # My tomb shall bless and speak to the needs of my devotees. # I shall be active and vigorous even from my tomb. # My mortal remains will speak from my tomb. # I am ever living to help and guide all who come to me, who surrender to me, and who seek refuge in me. # If you look at me, I look at you. # If you cast your burden on me, I shall surely bear it. # If you seek my advice and help, it shall be given to you at once. # There shall be no want in the house of my devotee.

Worship and devotees

The Shirdi Sai Baba movement began in the 19th century, while he was living in Shirdi. A local Khandoba priest - Mhalsapati Nagre - is believed to have been his first devotee. In the 19th century Sai Baba's followers were only a small group of Shirdi inhabitants and a few people from other parts of India. The movement started developing in the 20th century, with Sai Baba's message reaching the whole of India. During his life, Hindus worshiped him with Hindu rituals and Muslims considered him to be a saint. In the last years of Sai Baba's life, Christians and Zoroastrians started joining the Shirdi Sai Baba movement.

Shirdi is among the major Hindu places of pilgrimage. The first Sai Baba temple is situated at Bhivpuri, Karjat. The Sai Baba Mandir (Hindu temple) in Shirdi is visited by around twenty thousand pilgrims a day and during religious festivals this number can reach up to a hundred thousand. Shirdi Sai Baba is especially revered and worshiped in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat.

The Shirdi Sai movement has spread to the Caribbean and to countries such as the United States, Australia, Dubai, Malaysia, and Singapore. The Shirdi Sai Baba movement is one of the main Hindu religious movements in English-speaking countries.

Sai Baba had many disciples and devotees: #Nana Saheb Chandorkar: Deputy Collector – legend has it that Sai Baba saved this man's daughter from labor complications. #Ganapath Rao: police officer who resigned to become an ascetic, and also known as Das Ganu. He was an itinerant who spread Sai Baba's message. #Tatya Patil: had immense faith in Sai Baba and served him until Sai Baba took samadhi. Sai Baba used to treat Tatya Patil as His nephew. #Baija Mai kote patil: Sai Baba treated her as His elder sister and equivalent to mother. She was Tatya Patil's mother. #Haji Abdul baba: He served Sai Baba until Sai Baba died in 1918. #Madhav Rao Deshpande: Later known as Shama, one of the staunch devotees of Sai Baba. #Govindrao Raghunath Dabholkar (Hemadpant): Sai Baba allowed him to write the ''Shri Sai Satcharita''. #Mahalsapati Chimanji Nagare: A priest of Khandoba Temple. #RadhaKrishna Mai: A great devotee of Baba, cleaned the temple every day and looked after Baba's needs. 108 Shirdi Sai Baba Slogans (mantras) are sung by devotees in praise of him as worship.

Reported miracles

Sai Baba's millions of disciples and devotees believe that he performed many miracles such as bilocation, levitation, mindreading, materialization, exorcisms, making the river Yamuna, entering a state of Samādhi at will, and lightning lamps with water, removing his limbs or intestines and sticking them back to his body (''khandana yoga''), curing the incurably sick, appearing beaten when another was beaten, after death rising on third day like Jesus Christ, preventing a mosque from falling down on people, and helping his devotees in a miraculous way. He also gave Darshan (vision) to people in the form of Rama, Krishna, Vithoba and many other Gods depending on the faith of devotees.

According to his followers he appeared to them in dreams after his death, and gave them advice. His devotees have documented many stories.

Historical sources

Biographers of Sai Baba (e.g. Govindrao Raghunath Dabholkar, Acharya Ekkirala Bharadwaja, Smriti Srinivas, Antonio Rigopolous) have based their writing on primary sources. One such source is the ''Shirdi Diary'' by Ganesh Shrikrishna Khaparde, which describes every day of the author's stay at Shirdi.

Speculation about the unknown episodes of Sai Baba's life are primarily based on his own words.

The most important source about Sai's life is the ''Shri Sai Satcharita'', written in Marathi in 1916 by Govindrao Raghunath Dabholkar, whom Sai Baba nicknamed ''Hemadpant''. Consisting of 53 chapters, it describes Sai Baba's life, teachings, and miracles. The book compares Sai Baba's love to a mother's love: caring and loving, but reprimanding when needed. It describes Baba's lifestyle, his selfless attitude, and his love for his devotees. The book describes how one should surrender one's egoism at God's feet and trust one's guru. It explains how God is supreme and His devotees should trust Him and love Him. It teaches that God is omnipresent in all living things, so that everything on Earth must be treated with love and respect.

''Sri Sai Baba and His Teachings'' by Acharya Ekkirala Bharadwaja is an in-depth study of Sai Baba's life routine and activities. B.V. Narasimhaswamiji has written important books such as ''Sri Sai Baba's Charters and Sayings'' and ''Devotee's Experiences of Sai Baba''.

In various religions

Hinduism

During Sai Baba's life, the Hindu saint Anandanath of Yewala declared Sai Baba a spiritual "diamond". Another saint, Gangagir, called him a "jewel". Sri Beedkar Maharaj greatly revered Sai Baba, and in 1873, when he met him he bestowed the title Jagad guru upon him. Sai Baba was also greatly respected by Vasudevananda Saraswati (known as Tembye Swami). He was also revered by a group of Shaivic yogis, to which he belonged, known as the ''Nath-Panchayat''.

Other religions

In Islam, Sai Baba mainly considered as a normal human being he was a muslim fakir he practiced islam and also appears in Sufism as a Pir. Meher Baba declared Baba to be a ''Qutub-e-Irshad'' - the highest of the five Qutubs, a "Master of the Universe" in the spiritual hierarchy. Sai Baba is also worshipped by prominent Zoroastrians such as Nanabhoy Palkhivala and Homi Bhabha, and has been cited as the Zoroastrians' most popular non-Zoroastrian religious figure.

Meher Baba met Sai Baba only once in his lifetime, during World War I, in December 1915. Meher Baba was still a youngster named Merwan Sheriar Irani when he met Sai Baba for a few minutes during one of Sai Baba's processions in Shirdi. This event is considered as the most significant in Meher Baba's life. ''Shri Sai Satcharita'' (Sai Baba's life story), makes no mention of Meher Baba. But in ''Lord Meher'', the life story of Meher Baba, there are innumerable references to Sai Baba. Meher Baba credited his Avataric advent to Upasni, Sai Baba, and three other Perfect Masters – Hazrat Babajan, Hazrat Tajuddin Baba, and Narayan Maharaj.

Notable disciples

Sai Baba left behind no spiritual heirs and appointed no disciples, and did not even provide formal initiation (diksha), despite requests. Some disciples of Sai Baba achieved fame as spiritual figures, such as Upasni Maharaj of Sakori. After Sai Baba died, his devotees offered the daily Aarti to Upasni Maharaj when he paid a visit to Shirdi, two times within 10 years.

Sathya Sai Baba (1926–2011) claimed to be a reincarnation of Sai Baba; he had a considerable number of followers in the 20th and 21st century.

In culture

Sacred art and architecture

In India, its a common sight to find a Sai Baba temple in any city or town, in every large city or town there is at least one temple dedicated to Sai Baba. There are even some in towns and cities outside India. In the mosque in Shirdi in which Sai Baba lived, there is a life-size portrait of him by Shama Rao Jaykar, an artist from Mumbai. Numerous monuments and statues depicting Sai Baba, which serve a religious function, have also been made. One of them, made of marble by a sculptor named Balaji Vasant Talim, is in the Samadhi Mandir in Shirdi where Sai Baba was buried. In Sai Baba temples, his devotees play various kinds of devotional religious music, such as aarti.

Stamp

Indian Postal Service released a Sai Baba commemorative stamp in May 2008.

On July 30, 2009, the New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah inaugurated what has been acclaimed as the largest solar steam system in the world, at the Shirdi shrine. The Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust paid an estimated Rs.1.33 crore for the system, Rs.58.4 lakh of which was paid as a subsidy by the renewable energy ministry. It is said the system can cook 20,000 meals per day for pilgrims visiting the temple.

Film and television

Sai Baba has been the subject of several feature films in many languages produced by India's film industry.

Sudhir Dalvi ''Sri Shirdi Saibaba Mahathyam'' ''Bhagavan Shri Sai Baba'' ''Sai Baba'' ''Shirdi Sai Baba'' ''Ishwarya Avatar Sai Baba'' ''Malik Ek''

Year !! Film !! Title role !! Director !! Language !! Notes
1977	''Shirdi ke Sai Baba''	|	Ashok V. Bhushan	Hindi	Manoj Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Hema Malini, Shatrughan Sinha, Sachin (actor)>Sachin, Prem Nath
1986	|	Vijayachander	K. Vasu	Telugu	Dubbed into Hindi as ''Shirdi Sai Baba Ki Kahani,'' into Tamil as ''Sri Shiridi Saibaba''
1989	|	Sai prakash	Sai prakash	Kannada
1993	|	Yashwant Dutt	Babasaheb S. Fattelal	Marathi	Also featuring Lalita Pawar
2001	|	Sudhir Dalvi	Deepak Balraj Vij	Hindi	Also featuring Dharmendra, Rohini Hattangadi, Suresh Oberoi
2005	|	Mukul Nag	Ramanand Sagar	Hindi	Composite movie drawn from Sagar's ''Sai Baba (TV series)''.
2010	|	Jackie Shroff	Deepak Balraj Vij	Hindi	Expected release in 2008. Also featuring Manoj Kumar, Divya Dutta, Rohini Hattangadi, Zarina Wahab and Anup Jalota as Das Ganu.

See also

Shirdi Sai Baba movement

References

Further reading

Arulneyam, Durai, ''The Gospel of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba. A Holy Spiritual Path'', New Delhi, Sterling, 2008. ISBN 978-81-207-3997-0

Bharadwaja, Acharya, ''Sai Baba the Master'', Andhra Pradesh, Sree Guru Paduka Publications, 1996 available online

Dabholkar, Govindrao Raghunath (alias Hemadpant), ''Shri Sai Satcharita'' Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Shirdi, (translated from Marathi into English by Nagesh V. Gunaji in 1944) available online or downloadable

Dabholkar, Govind Raghunath, ''Shri Sai satcharita : the life and teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba'' (1999)

Hoiberg, D. & Ramchandani, I., 'Sai Baba of Shirdi', in ''Students' Britannica India''. Page available online

Kamath, M. V. & Kher, V. B., ''Sai Baba of Shirdi: A Unique Saint'', India: Jaico Publishing House (1997). ISBN 81-7224-030-9

Osborne, Arthur, ''The Incredible Sai Baba. The Life and Miracles of a Modern-day Saint'', Hyderabad, Orient Longman, 1957. ISBN 81-250-0084-4

Panday, Balkrishna, ''Sai Baba’s 261 Leelas. A Treasure House of Miracles'', New Delhi, Sterling, 2004. ISBN 81-207-2727-4

Parthasarathy, Rangaswami, ''God Who Walked on Earth. The Life and Times of Shirdi Sai Baba'', New Delhi, Sterling, 1996. ISBN 81-207-1809-7.

Rao, Sham P. P., ''Five Contemporary Gurus in the Shirdi (Sai Baba) Tradition'', Bangalore: Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, 1972. LC Control No.: 75905429.

Rigopoulos, Antonio, ''The Life and Teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi'' State University of New York press, Albany, (1993) ISBN 0-7914-1268-7.

Ruhela, S. P. (ed), ''What Researchers Say about Sri Shirdi Sai Baba'', Faridabad, Sai Age Publications, 1994. ISBN 81-85880-85-9

Ruhela, S. P. (ed), ''Sri Shirdi Sai Baba – The Universal Master'', Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi, 1994. ISBN 81-288-1517-2

Ruhela, S. P. (ed), ''Truth in Controversies about Sri Shirdi Sai Baba'', Faridabad, Indian Publishers Distributors, 2000. ISBN 81-7341-121-2

Shepherd, Kevin R. D., ''Gurus Rediscovered: Biographies of Sai Baba of Shirdi and Upasni Maharaj of Sakori'', Cambridge: Anthropographia Publications, 1985. ISBN 0-9508680-2-7

Shepherd, Kevin R. D., ''Investigating the Sai Baba Movement: A Clarification of Misrepresented Saints and Opportunism'', Dorchester: Citizen Initiative, 2005. ISBN 0-9525089-3-1

Venkataraman, Krishnaswamy, ''Shirdi Stories'', Srishti Publishers, New Delhi, 2002. ISBN 81-87075-84-8

Warren, Marianne, ''Unraveling the Enigma. Shirdi Sai Baba in the Light of Sufism'', Revised edition, New Delhi, Sterling Publishing, 2004. ISBN 81-207-2147-0

White, Charles S. J., ''The Sai Baba Movement: Approaches to the Study of India Saints'' in Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 31, No. 4 (Aug., 1972), pp. 863–878

White Charles S. J., ''The Sai Baba Movement: Study of a Unique Contemporary Moral and Spiritual Movement'', New Delhi, Arnold-Heinemann, 1985.

Williams, Alison, ''Experiencing Sai Baba’s Shirdi. A Guide'', revised edition, Shirdi, Saipatham Publications. 2004 ISBN 81-88560-00-6 available online

Walshe-Ryan, Lorraine, ''I am always with you'', Reprint 2008, New Delhi, Sterling Publishing, 2006. ISBN 978-81-207-3192-9.

Sri Sainathuni Sarath Babuji, 'Arati Sai Baba'',The Psalm Bookj of Shridi Aratis, Saipatham Publications, 1996 available online

External links

Category:1838 births Category:1918 deaths Category:Hindu gurus Category:Hindu saints Category:Indian religious leaders Category:Indian saints Category:Indian Sufis Category:Islam and other religions

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name	Kishan Maharaj
landscape	yes
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
born	September 3, 1923Benares, United Provinces, British India
death date	May 04, 2008
instrument	tabla
genre	Indian classical music
years active	1934–2008 }}

Pandit Kishan Maharaj () (September 3, 1923 – May 4, 2008) was an Indian tabla player who belonged to the Benares gharana of Hindustani classical music.

Early life and background

Kishan Maharaj was born in Kabir Chaura, Benaras into a family of professional musicians. He was initially trained in classical music by his father,Hari Maharaj. After his father's death, his training was taken over by his uncle, Kanthe Maharaj, a disciple of Baldeo Sahai of the Benares gharana.

Musical career

Kishan Maharaj, by the time he was eleven, he began performing in concerts. Within a few years, Kishan Maharaj was sharing the stage with stalwarts like Faiyaz Khan, Omkarnath Thakur, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Bhimsen Joshi, Vasant Rai, Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Vilayat Khan,and many others.

Maharaj had the ability to play cross-rhythms and produce complex calculations, particularly in tihai patterns. Known as an excellent accompanist, Maharaj was extremely versatile and capable of playing with any accompaniment, be it with the Sitar, Sarod, Dhrupad, Dhamar or even dance.

Maharaj gave a number of solo concerts during his career and also gave `Sangat` to some great dancers like Sri Shambhu Maharaj, Sitara Devi, Natraj Gopi Krishna, and Birju Maharaj.

Among all his compositions, his "Tala Vadya Kacheri" with the Mridangam Vidwan, "Palghat Raghu" stood out. Maharaj extensively toured and participated in several prestigious events across the world, including the Edinburgh festival and the Commonwealth Arts festival in the United Kingdom in 1965.

Maharaj won the Padma Shri in 1973 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2002. For many years, he was married to Savita Devi, daughter of Siddheshwari Devi.

Death and legacy

Kishan Maharaj died on May 4, 2008 at Khajuri near Varanasi at the age of 84.

Maharaj's disciples include Pandit Nandan Mehta, Sukhvinder Singh Namdhari, Kumar Bose, Vineet Vyas (Toronto), Sandeep Das and Balkrishna Iyer, Shubh Maharaj, Pandit Pooran Maharaj (son), Anand "Maharaj" Lahiri, Arvind Kumar "Azad".

References

Category:1923 births Category:2008 deaths Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan Category:Hindustani instrumentalists Category:Tabla players Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Category:Artists from Varanasi

hi:किशन महाराज ur:پنڈت کشن مہاراج

Name	Zakir Hussain
Background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth date	March 09, 1951
Origin	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Instrument	Tabla
Genre	Hindustani classical music, jazz fusion
Occupation	Tabla Maestro
Years active	1963–present
Label	HMV
Religion	}}

Zakir Hussain (Hindi: ज़ाकिर हुसैन, Urdu: ذاکِر حسین), (born 9 March 1951), is an Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer.

Early life

Hussain was born in Mumbai, India to the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha. He attended St. Michael's High School in Mahim, and graduated from St Xaviers, Mumbai.

His younger brothers are noted percussionists, Taufiq Qureshi and Fazal Qureshi and Maral Quereshi

Musical career

Hussain was a child prodigy, and was touring by the age of twelve. He went to the United States in 1970, beginning his international career which includes more than 150 concert dates a year. In 1973, he appeared on George Harrison's Living in the Material World album. A prolific composer, he has received widespread recognition.

Hussain is a founding member of Bill Laswell's 'World Music Supergroup' Tabla Beat Science.

Hussain participates in the Silk Road collaborative musical project. He teaches Tabla to advanced students in both San Francisco and Mumbai. Zakir participates in the Global Drum Project with percussionists from around the world.

In 1992, Hussain founded Moment! Records, which features original collaborations in the field of contemporary world music, as well as live concert performances by great masters of the classical music of India. The label presents his own world percussion ensemble, ''The Rhythm Experience'', both North and South Indian classical recordings, ''Best of Shakti'' and the ''Masters of Percussion'' series. Moment Records’ 2006 release ''Golden Strings of the Sarode'', with Aashish Khan and Zakir Hussain, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album category for that year.

John McLaughlin collaborations

Hussain worked with John McLaughlin on several Indo-Jazz projects, beginning with their collaboration in the band Shakti (band) on the albums ''Shakti (album)'' (1975 Columbia), ''A Handful of Beauty'' (1976 Columbia),and ''Natural Elements'' (1977 CBS). McLaughlin later appeared on Zakir's album ''Making Music.'' Twenty years later, they rejoined in the band ''Remember Shakti'', recording the albums ''Remember Shakti'' (1999 Universal Records), ''The Believer'' (2000 Universal Records), ''Saturday Night in Bombay'' (2001 Universal Records), ''Live at 38th Montreux Jazz Festival'' (18 July 2004), and ''Live at Miles Davis Hall'' (8 July 2004). They also appeared in the DVD ''The Way of Beauty''. Both bands performed live both in the U.S. and abroad as recently as 2008.

Mickey Hart collaborations

Hussain has collaborated with Mickey Hart on many projects, beginning with Hart's first solo album ''Rolling Thunder'', and including ''Diga'', ''At The Edge'', ''Planet Drum'', ''Mickey Hart's Mystery Box'', ''Supralingua'', ''Spirit into Sound'', and ''Global Drum Project''. He has been part of several of his bands including the Diga Rhythm Band, Planet Drum, Bembe' Orishas, and the Global Drum Project. These projects have brought him together with such masters of world percussion and music as Sikiru Adepoju, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim, Babatunde Olatunji, and Giovanni Hidalgo.

The first Planet Drum album, released in 1991 on the Rykodisc label, went on to earn the 1992 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album, the first Grammy ever awarded in this category. The Global Drum Project album and tour brought Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju, and Giovanni Hidalgo together again in a reunion sparked by the 15th anniversary of the ground-breaking album Planet Drum. The album Global Drum Project has won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album at the 51st Grammy Awards Ceremony held on 8 February 2009.

Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer collaborations

When Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer were asked to compose a triple concerto by the Nashville Symphony, they both named Hussain as their first choice for the third member. The piece, titled ''The Melody of Rhythm; Concerto'' premiered on September 9, 2006 with Leonard Slatkin conducting the Nashville Symphony. The trio composed several more songs together, and included both the concerto and additional works on a CD released in 2009 entitled ''The Melody of Rhythm - Triple Concerto & Music for Trio'' (2009 E1 Music). On the recording, the orchestral parts are performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, with Leonard Slatkin once again holding the baton. The liner notes indicate the trio has more projects in mind for the future.

Film career

Hussain starred in the Merchant Ivory Film ''Heat and Dust'' in 1983, for which he also composed the score. He composed, performed and acted as Indian music advisor for the Malayalam film Vanaprastham, a 1999 Cannes Film Festival entry which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival (AFI Fest) in 1999, and won awards at 2000 Istanbul International Film Festival (Turkey), 2000 Bombay International Film Festival (India), and 2000 National Film Awards (India). He has composed soundtracks for several movies, most notably ''In Custody'' and ''The Mystic Masseur'' by Ismail Merchant, and has played tabla on the soundtracks of Francis Coppola's ''Apocalypse Now'', Bernardo Bertolucci's ''Little Buddha,'' and other films. He also composed the soundtrack of the Aparna Sen's ''Mr. and Mrs. Iyer'', being himself the singer of some of the songs, for the first time in cinema.

He starred in several films specifically showcasing his musical performance both solo and with different bands, including the 1998 documentary "Zakir and His Friends", and the documentary "The Speaking Hand: Zakir Hussain and the Art of the Indian Drum" (2003 Sumantra Ghosal). He also performs in the DVDs ''The Rhythm Devils Concert Experience'' (2008), and ''The Way of Beauty'' (2006) with the band Remember Shakti.

Personal life

Zakir Hussain married Antonia Minnecola, a Kathak dancer and teacher, who is also his manager.

Zakir Hussain has two daughters Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi. Anisa Qureshi graduated from UCLA and is trying her hand in video production and film making. The other daughter, Isabella is studying as a dance major in Manhattan.

He was named an Old Dominion Fellow by the Humanities Council at Princeton University, where he resided for the 2005–2006 semester as full professor in the music department. He was also a visiting professor at Stanford University.

Discography

''Global Drum Project'' (2007) – Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju, Giovanni Hidalgo - Shout Factory

''Soukha'' - V. Selvaganesh (with John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, Vikku, Shrinivas) - Naive

''Sangam'' (2006) - Jazz collaboration with bandleader Charles Lloyd.

''Punjabi Dhamar'' (2004)

''Raag Chandrakauns'' (2004)

''Live at 38th Montreux Jazz Festival'' (18 July 2004) - Remember Shakti

''Live at Miles Davis Hall'' (8 July 2004) - Remember Shakti

''Energy'' (2003)

''The Best of Mickey Hart: Over the Edge and Back'' (2002) – Mickey Hart

''Selects'' (2002)

''Live in San Francisco at Stern Grove'' (2002) - Tabla Beat Science

''Summit'' (2002) - George Brooks (Earth Brothers Music BMI)

''Golden Strings of the Sarode'' (2001) - Aashish Khan & Zakir Hussain

''Saturday Night in Bombay'' (2001) - Remember Shakti (Universal Records)

''Tala Matrix'' (2000) – Tabla Beat Science

''Spirit into Sound'' (2000) – Mickey Hart

''The Believer'' (2000) - Remember Shakti

''Remember Shakti'' (1999) - Remember Shakti

''And the Rhythm Experience'' (1998)

''Night Spinner'' (1998) - George Brooks (Moment Records)

''Supralingua'' (1998) – Mickey Hart

''Essence of Rhythm'' (1998)

''Magical Moments of Rhythm'' (1997)

''Kirwani'' (1997)

''The Elements - Space'' (1996)

''Mickey Hart's Mystery Box'' (1996) – Mickey Hart

''Maestro's Choice - Series Two'' (1995) - Sultan Khan & Zakir Hussain

''World Network Series, Vol. 1: India- Raga Purya Kalyan'' (1995) - Zakir Hussain & Shivkumar Sharma

''Raga Aberi'' (1995) - Shankar

''Golden Krithis Colours'' - (1994) - Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan

''Jog And Rageshri'' (1994)

''Ustad Amjad Ali Khan & Zakir Hussain'' (1994) - Amjad Ali Khan & Zakir Hussain

''Concert for Peace'' (1993) - Ravi Shankar

''Music of the Deserts'' (1993)

''Rag Madhuvanti / Rag Misra Tilang'' (1993) - Shivkumar Sharma

''Flights of Improvisation'' (1992)

''The One and Only'' (1992)

''Sangeet Sartaj'' (1992)

''Zakir Hussain and the Rhythm Experience (1992)

''Maestro's Choice Series One'' (1991) - Alla Rakha

''Planet Drum'' (1991) – Mickey Hart

''When Words Disappear'' (1991) - David Trasoff & Zakir Hussain

''At the Edge'' (1990) – Mickey Hart

''Venu'' (1989) - Hariprasad Chaurasia & Zakir Hussain

''Tabla Duet'' (1988) - Zakir Hussain & Alla Rakha

''Making Music'' (1987) with Jan Garbarek, John McLaughlin and Hariprasad Chaurasia

''Song for Everyone'' (1985) - L. Shankar

''Morning Ragas'' (1979) with Vasant Rai

''Natural Elements'' (1977) - Shakti with John McLaughlin

''A Handful of Beauty'' (1976) - Shakti with John McLaughlin

''Diga'' (1976) – Diga Rhythm Band

''Shakti'' (1975) - Shakti with John McLaughlin

''Rolling Thunder'' (1972) – Mickey Hart

''Shanti'' (1971)

''Evening Ragas'' (1970) Vasant Rai

''Ustad Mohammad Omar: Virtuoso from Afghanistan'' (2002)- Zakir Hussain

Filmography

''The Rhythm Devils Concert Experience'' (2008 – DVD) – The Rhythm Devils

''The Way of Beauty'' (2006 - DVD) - Remember Shakti

''The Speaking Hand: Zakir Hussain and the Art of the Indian Drum'' (2003) Sumantra Ghosal)

''Talamanam Sound Clash - Further Adventures in Hype'' (2003 - DVD) - Tabla Beat Science

''Zakir and His Friends'' (1998)

''Heat and Dust'' (1983) Merchant Ivory Film

''Saaz''

Soundtracks

''One Dollar Curry'' (2003) - Vijay Singh (writer and filmmaker)

''Mr. and Mrs. Iyer'' (2002) - Aparna Sen

''The Mystic Masseur'' (2001) - Ismail Merchant

''Vanaprastham'' (1999) - Shaji N. Karun

''Little Buddha'' (1993) - Bernardo Bertolucci

''In Custody'' (1993) - Ismail Merchant

''Apocalypse Now'' (1979) - Francis Coppola

''Saaz''

Awards and accolades

Awarded the titles of Padma Shri in 1988, and Padma Bhushan in 2002, becoming the youngest percussionist to be awarded these titles, given to civilians of merit by the Indian government.

Awarded the ''Indo-American Award'' in 1990 in recognition for his outstanding cultural contribution to relations between the United States and India.

Presented with the ''Sangeet Natak Akademi Award'' in 1991 by the President of India, making him one of the youngest musicians to receive this recognition from India's governing cultural institute.

In 1992 ''Planet Drum'', an album co-created and produced by Hussain and Mickey Hart, was awarded the first-ever Grammy for ''Best World Music Album'', the Downbeat Critics’ Poll for ''Best World Beat Album'' and the NARM ''Indie Best Seller Award'' for a World Music Recording.

Recipient of the 1999 ''National Heritage Fellowship'', the United States’ most prestigious honor for a master in the traditional arts, presented by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton at the United States Senate on September 28, 1999.

In 2005, he was named an ''Old Dominion Fellow'' by the Humanities Council at Princeton University, where he resided for the 2005–2006 semester as full professor in the music department, teaching a survey course in Indian classical music and dance.

Recipient of the prestigious ''Kalidas Samman'' in 2006, an award for artists of exceptional achievement, from the government of Madhya Pradesh.

''Golden Strings of the Sarode'' (Moment! Records 2006) with Aashish Khan and Zakir Hussain was nominated for a Grammy in the ''Best Traditional World Music Album'' category in 2006.

In 2007, readers’ polls from both Modern Drummer and Drum! magazines named Zakir Hussain ''Best World Music'' and ''Best World Beat Drummer'' respectively.

On 8 February 2009 for 51st Grammy Awards, Zakir Hussain won the Grammy in the Contemporary World Music Album category for his collaborative album "Global Drum Project" along with Mickey Hart, Sikiru Adepoju & Giovanni Hidalgo.

Interview

Zakir Hussain Radio Interview OFFBEAT with Karishmeh - 103.2 Dublin City FM, Ireland, Zakir Hussain in conversation with Karishmeh Felfeli (June 2009, Dublin City FM)

''Masters of Percussion: An Interview with Zakir Hussain'' - with Douglas Heselgrave (The Music Box, Friday September 12, 2008)

References

External links

Drummer World

Moment Records

Pennsylvania State University Page

Zakir Hussain Tour Information @ Liveisbetter

Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:Hindustani instrumentalists Category:Indian drummers Category:Indian emigrants to the United States Category:Indian Muslims Category:National Heritage Fellowship winners Category:Planet Drum members Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:Tabla players Category:St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni

bn:জাকির হুসেইন (তবলা বাদক) de:Zakir Hussain (Musiker) es:Zakir Hussain fr:Zakir Hussain (musicien) hi:ज़ाकिर हुसैन (संगीतकार) he:זקיר חוסיין kn:ಜಾಕಿರ್ ಹುಸೇನ್ (ಸಂಗೀತಗಾರ) ja:ザキール・フセイン ru:Хуссейн, Закир

name	Niladri Kumar
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Niladri Kumar
instrument	sitar, zitar
genre	Indian classical music, World, Fusion
years active	2002–present
website	Official website
notable instruments	}}

Niladri Kumar (born 1973) is an Indian classical and fusion musician. He performed on the sitar from a young age and toured and released albums as an adult. He created a unique instrument, a modified sitar, which he named ''zitar''.

Early life

Born to sitar player Kartick Kumar, a disciple of Ravi Shankar. He is considered a child prodigy. He started learning sitar under his father at the age of four. Kumar gave his first public performance at the age of six at Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry.

Career

Niladri Kumar began his career with music directors Laxmikant-Pyarelal in late 1980s. He was part of the Masters of the Percussion tour alongside Zakir Hussain. Kumar has also worked with Jonas Hellborg and V. Selvaganesh on their album ''Kali's Son'' and with John McLaughlin on album ''Floating Point''. Kumar has also worked with various music directors in Hindi cinema, including A.R. Rehman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Pritam. Niladri was conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi's Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, awarded to young musicians, in March 2007. Niladri has also won MTV Immies award for the Best Classical/Fusion Instrumental for his album ''If''.

Kumar has created a unique instrument "zitar" which is a combination of sitar and guitar. The concept initiated from a traveling sitar, which was modified by Kumar to create rock guitar sound out of it. Kumar reduced the number of strings on the instrument from 20 to five. He also added an electric pickup inside the instrument so that it would sound more like a guitar. His first full album composed using the instrument, titled ''Zitar'', was released in 2008. Kumar wrote the first track for the album ''Priority'' in 2003. Over the next five years he improved the track and subsequent track by gauging audience reaction during live performances. He improvised the tracks adding components from various genres such as rock, electronic and lounge.

Discography

Albums

2001: ''Together'' (With Kartik Kulkarni)

2002: ''Revelation'' (With Vijay Ghate)

2003: ''Dharohar''

2003: ''Saanjh Sur''

2004: ''If''

2005: ''Sitar Gaze''

2005: ''Yoga Zone'' (With Chinmaya Dunster)

2006: ''Forever''

2006: ''De-Stress Revive'' (With Rupak Kulkarni)

2007: ''Chillout Forever''

2007: ''Faith''

2008: ''Zitar''

2009: ''Priority''

Films

Bunty Aur Babli - Chup Chup Ke

Gangster - Na Jaane Koi

Life In Metro - Alvida

Dhoom 2 - Crazy Kiya Re

References

External links

Category:1973 births Category:Hindustani instrumentalists Category:Indian composers Category:Sitar players Category:Living people