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Omkarnath Thakur & Benito Mussolini

I first met Pandit Omkarnath Thakur about 40 years ago at the residence of Prof. M.C. Munshi, who was teaching at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Whenever he passed through Bangalore, Omkarnath invariably stayed with Prof. Munshi. They were old friends. Once, when the Professor told me that Omkarnath was in town as his guest, I was eager to meet this maestro about whom I had heard so much. When I called on Panditji, he was in a jovial mood. The characteristic asscrtiveness and flamboyance were all there. Our conversation, mostly one-sided, ran smoothly. With his substantial girth and flowing mane, Omkarnath was a compelling personality. When I ventured to differ on some point, his looks were almost searing and his face acquired a pinkish hue. I expected a rebuke, but it did not materialise because of the affable mood in which he was then.

But the conversation was very interesting. I was surprised at his incisive insight into the various aspects of Indian music. His statements, especially those relating to the effect of music on the mind, were very thought-provoking. He was also a good raconteur and he punctuated his statements with interesting stories and anecdotes.

Remembering his guru Vishnu Digambar Paluskar revertentially, he pointed out how he brought classical music, which was till then a preserve of royal courts, to the people at large and also referred to the various steps taken by him to inform and educate the people about classical music.

The conversation moved on to other topics, particularly his tours abroad. "Do you know I was the first Indian musician invited to attend an international meet on music abroad?" he asked. Continuing, he referred to the important places and institutions he had visited during this tour. Suddenly he asked: "Do you know I met Mussolini and spent some highly interesting time with him?" I was intrigued. No doubt we were all familiar with Mussolini and the image of him as an arrogant and cruel person built up by the foreign as well as the Indian media, which was not flattering. I was wondering what was the common ground that brought an Indian musician and a dictatorpolitician together. This is what Panditji told me.

"An international music conference was organised in Florence in 1933. I had been sent as a delegate from India. I was the first Indian to participate in an international music conference. I enlightened the delegates and the audience of distinguished scholars, mostly from the West, about Indian music's great heritage, its spiritual and aesthetic background, its various forms and also its effect on man and beast, etc., with proper illustrations. It was very well received and I was also invited to visit some of the famous music institutions in other European countries. After the conference I started visiting some of these countries and, during the last lap of the journey, came to Rome, the capital of Italy.

 "While in Rome, I was the guest of Amanulla Khan, the exiled king of Afghanistan. He was very fond of music and was very knowledgeable too. I had also performe d before him earlier and we knew each other well. I stayed with him for a few days, performing , discussin g matters relating to music and so on. One day he suggested, now that I had come so far to Rome, I should also meet Mussolini, who was an interesting person. Accordingly, I made enquiries and I was told that it was very difficult to get an appointment with the Duce, because he was so busy with state matters. Anyway I wrote a letter seeking an interview and waited for the reply. Even after a week, there was no response to the letter. Then I concluded that, even though we Indians boasted about our great culture and heritage, we did not command any respect since we belonged to a slave nation. I was very upset. Finally I decided to leave Rome and started preparing for my return home.

 "On the morning of the day of my departure, a messenger came from the Palaezo Venizia, bearing a letter. It was from the Duce, Mussolini. The letter stated that Benito Mussolini would be glad to meet me at the palace at 7 pm and that a vehicle was being sent to pick me up. Because I was so sore and felt humiliated at the silence of Mussolini, I was not eager at all to meet him. I told the messenger that I was to leave Rome that evening and because the reservations had already been made, it was not possible for me to meet Mussolini. An hour later another messenger came with another letter. This letter stated that, due to some preoccupation with matters of State, the Duce could not reply immediately and that arrangements had been made to cancel the reservation for that evening and a fresh one would be made for another date. The letter also urged that I must meet Mussolini. I had no alternative and told the messenger that I would be ready in the evening.

 "As promised, a Government car came in the evening to pick me up and I reached the palace by 7 pm. I was received by some official and was led through long corridors, up a flight of stairs and ushered into a room. The room was very spacious, as spacious as a hall, and a very large table occupied the centre space. I found a short bald man sitting at one end. As I entered the hall, he immediately got up, came round the table with measured steps and greeted me. Thus it was I met Mussolini, the famous dictator, face to face. He led me around the centre table to a corner where he was seated and requested me to sit in a comfortable chair which was already placed there. Then he enquired about the music conference I had attended and also the places I had visited before coming to Rome. Next, he started asking questions about the historical and spiritual background of Indian music. I was surprised to find how well he was informed and his questions were also searching and incisive. I felt happy to discuss my favourite subject and also answer his queries in between.

"Suddenly Mussolini said: ' I am told that ancient seers and scholars in India had made a deep study of and experimented on the effect of music over the minds of men and beasts and also the curative properties of the art. What is your opinion in this matter? ' I was really happy at the turn of our conversation, because it was an area which I had seriously studied, experimented and was still continuing the process. I explained the subject on the basis of my study and experiments. Then he said: "Can I now have a demonstration of this effect of your music over mind?' I readily agreed, and said I would start with something that evoked the veera rasa or a mood of valour. After thinking for a moment I chose raga Hindo l and started delineating it. In fact, I was in an excellent mood and sang the raga with abandon , oblivious of the place or surroundings. When I was soaring in the high notes of the raga, Mussolini suddenly said " Stop!' I opened my eyes and found tha t he was sweating heavily. His face was pink and his eyes also looked like burning coals. A few minute s late r his visage gained normalcy and he said: "A good experiment'. Next he asked whether I had anything that could evoke sadness or pathos, that is soka or karuna rasa. I thought for some time and started singing Chayanat. Again I was in such an elevated mood that I put my whole soul into the singing and was performing as if in a trance , with eyes closed. Sometime later I felt no sound emanating from his side and opened my eyes to find out whether something was wrong. To my surprise I found Mussolini had closed his eyes as if in contemplation and tears were streaming down his cheeks. He was also heaving with short breaths. When I stopped, he opened his eyes stared at me for some time and then remarked: "Very valuable and enlightening demonstration about the power of Indian music “.

"Then he got up and went to one of the cupboard s behind and took out a violin and said: "You have provided a wonderful experience. Now I would also like to demonstrate something of our music'. He started playing some piece which was peculiar and provocative too as to make one jump, skip and swing. After completing it Mussolini said that it was a composition of Paganini. Of course I had heard about Paganini as one of the great masters of the art of violin-playing, but had not heard any of his works. Next he played another number which was slow moving, evoked a melancholy mood and also brought tears to my eyes. After finishing it, he said that it was a composition of Mozart.

 "Anyway it was an interesting and unforgettable music session. Then I got up and thanked him for the highly entertaining and edifying evening. When I prepared to leave, he held my hand and insisted that I should have dinner with him. I excused myself stating that I was a vegetarian. Mussolini countered: " I know you are a vegetarian. That is why an entirely vegetarian meal has been prepared for you which I am also sharing with you. And for your information, it is my wife who has prepared it.' Then he led me to an anteroom where we were greeted by a middle-aged, kindly looking lady, who reminded me of our saubhagyavati-s. She was introduced as his wife who was acting as the hostess of the evening. We sat for dinner, a simple vegetarian meal which was interspersed with discussions on music , his queries and my replies. Altogether it was an evening highly stimulating as much to the mind as to the body. After the dinner, Mussolini escorted me to the hall downstairs, where another official took over. The car was waiting and it was nearly midnight when I reached my lodgings.

"I could not sleep at all during the entire night, wondering whether the meeeting had really taken place; I thought it was a part of a dream. Anyway I was buoyed in spirit. Next morning, when I was relaxing, a messenger came with two letters. One of them thanked me for providing such an enlightening evening. It also stated that the train reservation had been made for me for the same evening. The other letter was sealed and when I opened it I was surprised. It was an order from the Italian Government appointing me to head a newly formed department in Rome University to conduct experiments on the effect of music on the mind , its therapeutic qualities, etc . Further it also stated that I could join this post at my earliest convenience . The salary offered was substantial. Meanwhile I received information from India that my wife was ill and had to hurry back home, postponing a decision about this post.

"Later, the world was plunged into war and Mussolini was also one of the characters occupying the centre stage. After the war he was captured and executed, proving how dangerous an area politics is. All this is now a part of history, of course. But I must say I was privileged to see Mussolini as a man whose heart yielded to music and its manifold charms.

 "Incidentally , I learned later about the real reason for the delay in granting me an appointment . After receiving my letter, it seems Mussolini made enquiries about me, my background, musical attainments, my status, etc., through several sources including his consular office in India . After collecting and studying all this information and also satisfying himself about my credentials in the India n music world, he sent the letter fixing the appointment. This indicated how thorough and meticulous he was in his work, including music. "

B.V.K. SASTRY

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