Playing a man's instrument

Chitrangana Agle Reshwal, one of the very few performing female pakhawaj players in India, was in Hyderabad recently for a solo show. Says Chitrangana, “Even in my childhood I was asked to learn dance and other instruments like the sitar or veena. In fact, I learnt Kathak from my father who used to convert pakhawaj bols for the dance.

I used to secretly listen to my father, Pandit Kalidas Pant Agle, when he would teach my brothers. Even practicing on the instrument would be without anyone’s knowledge in the house. But it was an intense passion and an urge to do what my heart felt good about.

“Later, I was allowed to learn the instrument and I went to Raja Chatrapati Singh of Bijna for further training. Our forefathers belonged to the famous Nana Panse Gharana of pakhawaj and my grandfather, Pandit Ambadas Pant Agle, was known for the ‘mithaas’ (sweetness) of his style of playing and the technique of playing ‘jhala’.”

She adds, “It’s a very big responsibility to carry on the legacy. I remember a long time ago, Pandit Kishan Maharaj called a tabla player backstage and said ‘She is wearing bangles, but her playing is as good as any man’.”

“I have also given accompaniment for Kathak dances. But solo performances help exhibit the nuances of the sounds of the pakhawaj,” she adds.
“My next project is to document most of the teaching material, which is a treasure of my father, and publish it as a book. I am sure that more girls would take up pakhawaj in future,” says Chitrangana.

Jaywant Naidu is a musician, creator of the ‘Jaywant Guitar’ and a freelance photographer