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Short Summary of the Chapter : Tansen
Tansen was the greatest musician of India. He was the only child of Mukandan Misra and his wife. They lived in Behat near Gwalior. Tansen was a naughty boy. He loved playing in the forest and could copy the sounds of animals and birds very well.
One day, he scared some travellers by roaring like a tiger. A famous singer, Swami Haridas, saw his talent. He took Tansen to teach him music. Tansen lived with him for eleven years. Later, his parents died. Before dying, his father wished Tansen to visit the holy man Mohammad Ghaus in Gwalior. Tansen obeyed him and stayed there.
Tansen often visited the court of Rani Mrignayani. There he married Hussaini, a lady in the court. They had five children, and all of them loved music.
Tansen became very famous. Emperor Akbar heard him sing and made him a part of his court in 1556. Akbar loved Tansen’s music. Some jealous courtiers wanted to harm him. They planned to make him sing Raga Deepak, which could burn the singer to ashes if sung properly.
Tansen agreed but asked for some time. He taught his daughter Saraswati and her friend Rupvati to sing Raga Megh, which could bring rain. On the final day, when Tansen sang Raga Deepak, the air became hot, trees dried, and rivers started boiling. But just then, Saraswati and Rupvati sang Raga Megh, and rain came down. Tansen was saved.
Later, Akbar punished the jealous courtiers. Tansen stayed in Akbar’s court till he died in 1585. His tomb is in Gwalior and is loved by musicians even today.
Detailed Summary of the Chapter : Tansen
Tansen’s Childhood :Tansen was the greatest musician of India. His parents were Mukandan Misra and his wife. They lived in a place called Behat near Gwalior. Tansen was their only child. He was a very naughty boy. He loved to run into the forest and play there. He learnt to copy the sounds of different birds and animals very well. This showed that he had a special talent even when he was small.
One day, Tansen tried to scare some travellers in the forest by roaring like a tiger. This small act became very important in his life.
Meeting with Swami Haridas :A famous singer named Swami Haridas was passing through the forest with his disciples. They were tired and resting in a shady place. Tansen saw them and thought it would be fun to scare them. He roared like a tiger. The travellers got very scared at first. But Swami Haridas stayed calm. He said that not all tigers are dangerous and went looking for it. Soon, one man found Tansen hiding behind a tree.
Swami Haridas did not get angry. Instead, he told Tansen’s father that the boy was very talented. He asked if he could teach him music.
Learning Music :Tansen was only ten years old when he left home to learn music from Swami Haridas. He stayed with him for eleven years. During this time, he learnt to sing beautifully and became a very good singer.
Sadly, during this time, Tansen’s parents passed away. Before dying, his father wished that Tansen should visit a holy man named Mohammad Ghaus in Gwalior. Mukandan Misra used to visit Mohammad Ghaus often.
Life with Mohammad Ghaus and Marriage :Tansen went to Gwalior and lived with Mohammad Ghaus. While living there, he often visited the court of Rani Mrignaini, who was a great musician herself.
There, Tansen met Hussaini, a lady in the court. They got married. Hussaini also became a student of Swami Haridas later. Tansen and Hussaini had five children.All their children were very good at music too. This shows that music ran in their family.
Fame and Jealousy :Tansen became very famous. His fame reached Emperor Akbar. Akbar invited Tansen to his court in the year 1556. Tansen became Akbar’s favourite singer. Akbar would often visit Tansen’s house just to hear him practise. He gave him many gifts and showed a lot of love.
However, some courtiers became jealous. They felt they could not be happy until Tansen was ruined.
The Evil Plan :One jealous courtier named Shaukat Mian made a wicked plan. He said they should make Tansen sing Raga Deepak.
If Raga Deepak is sung properly, it makes the air so hot that it burns the singer to ashes. Shaukat Mian thought that if Tansen sang it, he would die.
Shaukat Mian went to Akbar and suggested testing Tansen by asking him to sing Raga Deepak. Akbar believed in Tansen and agreed.
Tansen was very scared but he could not say no to Akbar. He asked for some time to prepare.
Preparing to Save Himself :Tansen went home very sad. He knew he could sing Raga Deepak, but it could burn him. Then he thought of a plan. He knew that Raga Megh could bring rain. So, if someone sang Raga Megh at the right time, the rain would save him.
Tansen trained his daughter Saraswati and her friend Rupvati to sing Raga Megh. They practised day and night for two weeks.
The Day of the Performance :On the big day, the whole town came to hear Tansen sing. As Tansen started singing Raga Deepak, the air became very hot. People began sweating. Leaves on trees dried up and fell. Birds dropped dead from the sky. The water in rivers started boiling. Lamps lit up on their own. Everyone was terrifiedJust then, Saraswati and Rupvati started singing Raga Megh. Slowly, the sky became cloudy. Rain fell heavily and saved Tansen’s life.
After the Performance :Tansen became very sick after this. Akbar felt very sorry that he had caused him so much pain. He punished the jealous courtiers.
When Tansen got well, there was great joy in the whole city.
Tansen stayed in Akbar’s court as the main singer till he died in 1585. He also created many new ragas.
Today, Tansen’s tomb is in Gwalior. It is a special place for all musicians.
Pointwise Summary of the Chapter :Tansen
1. Tansen was the only child of Mukandan Misra and his wife, living in Behat near Gwalior.
2. As a child, he was very naughty and could imitate bird and animal sounds perfectly.
3. Swami Haridas, a famous singer, discovered his talent when Tansen roared like a tiger to scare travellers.
4. Tansen learnt music from Swami Haridas for eleven years and became a great singer.
5. After his parents died, Tansen lived with Mohammad Ghaus in Gwalior and married Hussaini from Rani Mrignaini’s court.
6. Tansen became very famous and was invited to Akbar’s court in 1556.
7. Akbar loved his singing and often visited him personally to listen to his music.
8. Jealous courtiers made a plan to harm him by asking him to sing Raga Deepak, which could burn him.
9. Tansen cleverly prepared his daughter Saraswati and her friend Rupvati to sing Raga Megh and save him with rain.
10. After being saved, Tansen lived happily in Akbar’s court until his death in 1585, and his tomb in Gwalior became a place of pilgrimage for musicians.