The Batish family's prime directive in life if to further the music and fine arts of India. That's what we do best. The patriarch of our family Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish and the founder of the institute has been a great personality on the Indian music scene since 1930. Sadly we lost this great musical genius recently. On July 29, 2006 he passed away leaving a great sense of loss and void in our hearts and soul. He was a true visionary. In the past 20 years, he dedicated himself to the creation of over 20 books on teaching Indian music and over 50 compositions in North and South Indian ragas all designed to bring Indian music to a global audience. Our mission now is to take these gems and to produce them to the best of our abilities and release them to the World. Here is where we will be presenting excerpts and clips of this work in progress and we hope you will subscribe and perhaps help us in this production.
This video is dedicated to the memory of this musical saint. He was born Shiv Dayal Batish and was known in the Indian film and music industry as S.D. Batish But it was his guruji Shri Chandan Ram Charan that gave him the pseudonym "Rasik" You will find this name in most of the lyrics penned by him.
We present you today with a song from his CD "S.D. Batish, The 72 Carnatic Melakartas vol.1." It is a composition he wrote while researching the ragas of the South Indian music system. The 1st 12 Melakartas (Parent modes) are presented on the CD. This raga is called Manavati and is number 5 in the Carnatic system of 72 parent modes. The composition style is distinctly North Indian. He is accompanied on this video by his son Shri Ashwin Batish of Sitar Power fame.
S. D. Batish has been a stalwart on the Indian music scene since 1936. His songs have been broadcast from All India Radio nationwide. His old movies are regularly shown on Indian TV. He was a true master of the various vocal and instrumental styles of North Indian music, including Bhajans, Geet, Thumri, Ghazals, Film Sangeet, etc. Some of his outstanding films are Betab, Bahu Beti, Toofan, Harjeet, Tipu Sultan, Ham Bhi Kuch Kam Nahin, and Amar Keertan. His songs have been sung by such top artists as Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Talat Mahmood, Mohamad Rafi, Sudha Malhotra, Manna Dey, and Geeta Dutt. Some of his all time hit songs are, Pagadi Sambhal Jatta, Khamosh Nigahen, and Aakhen Kehe Gayi Dil Ki Baat.
In 1970 Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish moved to California, USA to teach music at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He loved this area and decided to make it his home. He wrote some of his greatest works here. Books to teach North Indian music, compositions on over 2200 Carnatic ragas and over 700 North Indian ragas, Instructional videos to teach the harmonium, vichitra veena, dilruba are just a few of the releases. He and his son Shri Ashwin Batish, also formed the Batish Institute of Indian music and Fine Arts - an educational Institute to teach Panditji's music and to further the cause of Indian music and culture in the Monterey Bay area.
We hope you'll enjoy this song and show your support for this fine artist and our institute by buying the full CD either via Amazon.com or downloading it digitally via iTunes, Rhapsody, etc. Enjoy!