Saptarshi and the Jaipur-Senia Tradition of Sitar

Saptarshi learned to play the Sitar from his early childhood under the tutelage of Pandit Netai Basu, one of the most committed and talented disciples of Ustaad Mustaq Ali Khan of the Jaipur-Senia Gharana. 

Mustaq Ali Khan was the last doyen of this Senia style of sitar playing. One of the unique structural features of this gharana is that it uses the 17-fretted sitar, as opposed to the sitars with 19-21 frets, which are more commonly played today. But this is just a structural aspect of the instrument. The chief distinction of this gharana lies in its baaj, or the style of playing, and the treatment of the ragas, which includes certain aspects of Veena and Dhrupad.  This rich amalgamation creates the aesthetic uniqueness of the Senia sitar style. 

Mustaqji, originally from Varanasi, belonged to a family lineage that produced noted Veena players, Surbahar players and Dhrupad singers down the generations. Sitar was a rather late entrant in this family line. Mustaq Ali’s father, Ustaad Ashiq Ali Khan got the training in sitar from Ustaad Barkatullah Khan, who was, in turn, the student of Amrit Sen, the famous Jaipur Senia sitar player. Amrit Sen was the great grandson of Maseet Sen, who was a direct descendant of the legendary Miyan Tansen—the chief court musician of Emperor Akbar. 

The word Senia is generally applied to those who are linked either by birth or by training to the musical legacy of Miyan Tansen  and his descendants, spread out in various branches. Amrit Sen finally settled in Jaipur and hence the name Jaipur-Senia.  

This way, through the traditional Indian guru-shishya parampara, the rich repertoire of the Senia sitar entered the family of Ashiq Ali Khan of Varanasi and it was bequeathed to his son Mustaq Ali Khan. Mustaqji took the Senia sitar to a new height, but rigorously maintained, till his death, the aesthetics of purity and the uncompromising loyalty to the rich musical tradition he inherited. 

Saptarshi is sincerely trying to revive and carry forward the beacon of this Senia tradition, which has only a few genuine adherents now. He is now trying to develop and expand himself, combining his rich musical heritage with modern experimentation. 

Change is a historical necessity in this globalized era. Music can not be an isolated exception. Saptarshi is eager to assimilate, with discerning eclecticism, new patterns and ideas, while keeping the basic tenets and essential features of Senia style unchanged. 

He plays the same 17-fretted sitar. 

Wave-like rolling and gliding meends are a special hallmark of this tradition. This type of meend of the Veena ang, rich in melodious beauty and precision, is a distinctive feature of his style of playing. 

Saptarshi puts equal importance to both his left and right hands. Besides the speedy movement of the left hand on the frets, with a strong and powerful command over right hand strokeplay (bolkari), he combines the gayaki (the vocal/singing aspect) with the tantrakaari (the instrumental aspect) in an enriching way and displays the so-called ‘do haath ke baj’.

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