Rahul and Rohit Mishra: Carrying Girija Devi's legacy into a new era

When Rahul and Rohit Mishra first sang before the legendary vocalist Girija Devi, they were children with good voices but little understanding of how to develop them. Their maternal grandfather, the eminent Banaras tabla maestro Pandit Sharda Sahai, had brought them to her, convinced that she was the right person to guide their musical education. What followed was a formative association that would shape not only their singing but also their understanding of a musician’s responsibilities.

The brothers have now been selected for the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for 2025. The recognition marks an important milestone in their careers, but the story behind their musical journey offers something more revealing: an insight into how a great guru transmits a tradition, cultivates artistic sensitivity and prepares disciples to find their own voices.

For Rahul and Rohit, memories of Girija Devi, affectionately known as Appa Ji, go back to childhood. They would visit her during festivals such as Nag Panchami, Holi and Diwali. Their formal training began when their grandfather suggested that they learn from her. He believed that her command over the Banaras musical tradition, her grounding in its rich vocal repertoire and her ability to teach with commitment would provide the boys with the right foundation.

Their parents took them to meet her. Girija Devi listened as they sang Raag Bhairav and the thumri Itni Araj Mori Maan, which they had also recorded. She appreciated their voices but recognised that they needed systematic training.

“Their voices are good, but they do not yet know how to nurture them properly”, was the essence of her response. She agreed to teach them, provided they came to Kolkata, where she could train them closely and introduce them to the discipline required of serious musicians.

It was an invitation that changed the course of their lives.

The poetry behind the music

For Girija Devi, music began with understanding. She taught Rahul and Rohit the subtleties of thumri, dadra, kajri and chaiti, insisting that the meaning of a composition must be understood before it can be expressed convincingly.

Her approach went beyond the mechanics of singing. A musician, she believed, must understand the poetry, recognise its emotional character and discover how that feeling should inform the voice.

In Itni Araj Mori Maan, for instance, the words convey a plea. The singer must understand the nature of that appeal and communicate it through phrasing, melodic movement and expression. Merely reproducing the composition is not enough; its emotional meaning must reach the listener.

She applied the same principle to khayal. Rahul and Rohit recall her questioning the indiscriminate use of fast taans and elaborate ornamentation. If a morning raga was being performed, she would ask whether forceful, rapid passages were appropriate to its mood. If a singer rendered Jago Mohan Pyare, evoking the tender act of awakening Krishna, would an excess of taans and murkis convey the required feeling?

For her, technical brilliance had to serve the music rather than overshadow it. A taan was effective not simply because it was fast, but because it was placed appropriately and executed with clarity. Similarly, a murki had to be precise, while the overall presentation had to remain faithful to the raga’s character.

This insistence on musical judgement distinguished her teaching. She wanted her disciples to understand why a phrase was sung in a particular way, not merely how to reproduce it. The lesson remains pertinent in a musical environment where virtuosity can sometimes become an end in itself.

A gurukul built on affection and discipline

The brothers’ years in Kolkata were not without difficulties. As children, they sometimes found it hard to remain away from home. They would return to Banaras on one pretext or another and occasionally stay away longer than they should.

On one occasion, Girija Devi travelled to Banaras and spoke to them directly. Music, she explained, was not an activity to be pursued casually and abandoned after a few days. They had a family tradition to carry forward, and doing so required seriousness, discipline and sustained practice.

Her words made an impression. The brothers resolved to concentrate on their training and continue learning from her. They remained associated with her until the final years of her life.

Yet discipline was only one aspect of the relationship. Girija Devi also looked after their needs and treated them with affection. Her daughter, Sudha Dutta, whom the brothers fondly call Munni Didi, played an important role in their upbringing and musical education.

The experience taught Rahul and Rohit that a guru’s contribution extends beyond formal lessons. The atmosphere in which a student learns, the discipline of daily life and the personal care that sustains a long apprenticeship are also integral to artistic development.

For the brothers, the support of their parents and family remains invaluable. But they regard Girija Devi’s guidance as central to the musicians they have become.

Inheriting a tradition, finding an identity

The challenge of being associated with a towering musician is that the inheritance can become both a foundation and a burden. Disciples must preserve what they have learnt without becoming mere imitators.

Rahul and Rohit are conscious of this distinction. They acknowledge that Girija Devi gave them a rich musical foundation, but they also understand that an individual identity can emerge only through sustained practice and a deeper engagement with the tradition.

They admire the distinctive approaches of musicians such as Pandit Rajan-Sajan Mishra, Ustad Rashid Khan, Ustad Amir Khan and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. Each developed a recognisable musical personality while remaining rooted in the classical tradition. For the brothers, such examples underline the importance of developing an individual voice without abandoning the principles of rigorous training.

Their own musical interests encompass khayal as well as thumri, dadra, kajri, chaiti, tappa, hori and bhajan. These forms demand different approaches to poetry, melody and expression. Their richness lies not only in their musical structures but also in the cultural memories and emotional worlds they evoke.

Girija Devi helped bring this repertoire to wider recognition. To carry her legacy forward, her disciples must preserve its expressive depth while developing their own understanding of the music.

The brothers acknowledge that establishing an independent identity is an ongoing process. The award recognises their achievements so far, but the more demanding work lies ahead: deepening their practice, refining their musical judgement and demonstrating their individuality through performance.

The responsibility of the performer

Girija Devi also taught her disciples to consider the audience and the dignity of the stage. A performer, she believed, must understand the circumstances of a concert and the time available to present the music effectively.

In earlier decades, audiences often listened to khayal for several hours. Today, concerts frequently operate within tighter schedules. But a shorter performance need not mean a compromise in quality.

Her advice was practical: sing in tune, keep the taans clear and ensure that the murkis are properly articulated. Every musical choice must have a purpose.

Rahul and Rohit believe that this lesson is especially relevant today. The challenge is to present classical music in a manner that engages contemporary audiences without sacrificing its intricacies.

Even small details can determine a raga’s character. The treatment of the rishabh in Marwa or the distinctive oscillation of the gandhar in Darbari is not merely a technical matter; it contributes to the identity of the raga. If such nuances are neglected in the pursuit of immediate impact, the music loses something essential.

The task, therefore, is not to resist changing audience habits but to adapt thoughtfully. A concise presentation can still be musically complete in its intention, provided the performer understands what must be retained and what can be omitted.

A recognition shared with the guru

When the brothers learnt of their selection for the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, their first thoughts turned to Girija Devi. They also remembered their parents, grandparents and other senior members of the family, dedicating the honour to their guru and ancestors.

Their response reflects a tradition in which an award may be conferred upon an individual, but the achievement is understood as the outcome of collective effort and inherited knowledge.

Instituted by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2006 in memory of the legendary shehnai maestro and Bharat Ratna awardee Ustad Bismillah Khan, the Yuva Puraskar recognises promising young practitioners of the performing arts. For Rahul and Rohit, the honour comes at a significant stage, encouraging them to continue developing their musical identities.

But recognition also brings expectations. The brothers must now demonstrate that the promise acknowledged by the award can mature into lasting artistic achievement.

Classical music in the digital age

The brothers see digital platforms as valuable tools for reaching new audiences. YouTube, social media and online broadcasts have made performances accessible to listeners who may never attend a classical concert in person.

However, they are wary of the assumption that short videos can adequately convey the complexity of classical music. An excerpt can introduce a composition or stimulate curiosity, but the gradual unfolding of a raga, the relationship between its notes and the emotional development of an alap require attentive listening.

Their position is not a rejection of technology. Rather, they believe digital platforms should encourage deeper engagement with music instead of reducing it to brief displays designed solely to attract attention.

They also call for greater accuracy in the portrayal of classical music and the gurukul system in films and television. Writers and screenwriters, they believe, should understand the traditions they depict so that audiences receive a more authentic picture of musical training and performance.

For them, making classical music accessible to younger listeners requires explanation and engagement, not dilution. Introducing the meaning of a bandish, explaining the mood of a raga or discussing the nuances of a performance can help audiences approach the music with greater curiosity.

The wider challenge is to create more opportunities for classical musicians while preserving the integrity of the art. That responsibility belongs not only to performers but also to cultural institutions, concert organisers and the media.

The journey beyond the award

For Rahul and Rohit Mishra, the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is a significant milestone, but the foundations of their musical lives were laid much earlier: in their first lessons with Girija Devi, in learning to understand a thumri’s poetry, and in discovering that music demands discipline far beyond the concert stage.

She taught them that technique must serve expression, that a composition must be understood before it can be communicated, and that the responsibility of a musician extends to the audience as well as the tradition.

Their task now is to preserve these lessons while developing their own musical personalities. A living tradition survives not through imitation alone, but through successive generations who understand its essence and find meaningful ways to carry it forward.

For the brothers, the most fitting tribute to Girija Devi may lie not in reproducing her music note for note, but in approaching their own art with the sensitivity, discipline and integrity that defined hers.

She gave them a musical inheritance. Their responsibility is to make it live on—not as a memory of the past, but as a tradition that continues to grow.

Rajendra Sharma is a retired state tax officer.