Rediscovering Veenatai Sahasrabuddhe – Exemplary artist of Paluskar Tradition
On 29th June this year, Veenatai departed, for the
heavenly abode. She became one with the the
eternal sound of the universe. For the
last four years, us, students were watching her, battling helplessly with an incurable
disease. We were in awe of Baba’s (Dr.
Hari Sahasrabuddhe) ability to savor every precious moment with Veenatai,
displaying strength to face the adversity with courage and fortitude.
As for me, I was fortunate to be her disciple for many years,
the years when her career was on flight. Armed with a degree of M.A
music, I joined her class and for ten years for at least three hours nearly every
day, I had witnessed her magician-ship in singing. Whether there be a festival, or a holiday, all
the days in the year were converted into music celebration. A simple and graceful woman, Veenatai was an
ultimate example of an inspired musician for me. The obsession I experienced
during those days is unforgettable. Veenatai purposefully avoided indulgence in
matters other than music and focused on improvement in music making. She
introduced to us to the compositions of Pt Ramashreya Jha, Pt Balwantrai Bhatt,
and Pt. Vasant Thakar and also to the music of her father Pt. Shankar Shreepad
Bodas and her brother Pt. Kashinath Shankar Bodas. Flawless both in words
and tunes, she demonstrated the beauty of the compositions with great ease. When
I joined her class, I was a small girl coming from a small town. Every class
opened the deepest caves of musical treasure and I felt overwhelmed and
desperate at the same time. The
glittering notes, meaningful words in the Bandish imbibed in us, the aesthetic
beauty of lyrics in Classical music.
Veenatai was a humble musician. As I remember, she never felt beneath to
learn a particular bandish she needed for the cassette from a novice girl like me.
She sat for hours with a Dagga to teach a large group of multileveled students
in SNDT College even on fasting days without a slightest sign of exertion. Long
after she resigned from the college, the department still cherished the
memories of her dedication to the
