Baiju Bawra

Infobox musical artist
Name = Baiju Bawra

---

Img_capt =
Img_size =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name =
Born = Baijnath Mishra
1542
Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
Died =
Origin =
Genre = Hindustani classical music
Occupation = Classical Vocalist
Years_active =
Label =
URL =

Baiju Bawra or Baijnath Prasad or Baijnath Mishra (1542-1613) was a legendary Indian Dhrupad singer.cite web
url=http://www.musicalnirvana.com/composers/baiju_bawra.html
title=Baiju Bawra (16th century)
accessdate=2007-04-28] . He was the court musician Raja Mansingh of Gwalher, now Gwalior, along with Nayak Charju, Bakshu, and others.

Since the information on Baiju Bawra is from legends and lore, much is not historically verifiable.

Early life

Baiju Bawra was born in Chanderi in Gwalior on Sharad Purnima in the month of Ashwin in 1599 according to Vikram Samvat calendar (1542 CE).

He got the name "Bawra" (crazy) because he was crazily in love with a dancer in Chanderi.

Baiju learnt Dhrupad music in Dagurvaani in Vrindavan, and was an eminent Dhrupad singer.

Career

Baiju was a musician at the court of the Raja of Chanderi (now in Guna District of Madhya Pradesh). Later, he became a musician at the court of Raja Mansingh of Gwalher (modern Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh). Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat had also patronized Baiju. [cite book
editor =Indian Council for Cultural Relations
title =The Indo-Asian Culture
year =1971
publisher =Indian Council for Cultural Relations]

Just like Tansen, the renowned musician at the court of Mughal Emperor Akbar, Baiju was a disciple of Swami Haridas (1512-1607). According to another legend, he was a contemporary of Amir Khusro and the creator of Dhrupad music style.

According to historical books preserved in Jai Vilas Mahal in Gwalior, he would light oil lamps by singing Raag Deepak, make it rain by singing Raag Megh, Raag Megh Malhar, or Raag Gaud Malhar, and bloom flowers by singing Raag Bahar.

Contemporary Singers

Besides Tansen, renowned singers, Baba Ram Das, who composed Raag Ramdasi Malhar, and Nayak Charju, who composed Raag Charju ki Malhar, were Baiju's contemporaries.

Historian Abul Fazal at Emperor Akbar's court and historian Faqirullah at Emperor Aurangzeb's court have written that Baiju defeated Tansen in a singing competition at the court of Akbar. Tansen then touched Baiju's feet and asked for his own life. In response, kind-hearted Baiju went back to Gwalior. (According to the script of a Hindi movie, "Baiju Bawra" (1952), Baiju had believed that Tansen was responsible for the death of his father and that he then avenged his father's death by challenging Tansen to a musical duel in Akbar's court.)

Gopal Nayak, a court musician in the State of Kashmir, India, was a student of Baiju. The then king of Kashmir challenged Baiju against Gopal Nayak. Baiju sang Raag "Bhimpalasi". Instead of singing in response, feeling overwhelmed, Gopal Nayak cried in the court. After this defeat, Gopal died and his body was cremated on the bank of river Satluj. When the bones in Gopal's body were thrown in the river following the cremation, they sank. According to a legend, Gopal's widow then asked Baiju to retrieve her husband's bones. Responding, Baiju taught a new version of Raag Malhar to her daughter, Meera; and after a week's training, Meera sang that Raag on the bank of Satluj in front of a crowd. As soon as she finished the Dhrupad, her father's bones emerged on the bank out of the river. From that time on, that raag is known as Meera ki Malhar.

Later life

Baiju died of typhoid at the age of 71 on the eve of the Indian festival, Basant Panchami in Vikram Samvat 1670 (1613 CE).

In popular culture

"Baiju Bawra", a Hindi-language film was made on him in 1952. In the movie, Baiju is a musician who believes that Tansen is responsible for his father's death. He attempts to avenge his father's death by challenging Tansen to a musical duel.

References