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Miyan Tansen

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By Hitesh Basantani

Composer, Indian Classical Music

Miyan Tansen is considered as one of the greatest composer musicians in Indian classical
music. He was an extra ordinarily talented vocalist known even today for a number of great
compositions. He lived during the time of the great Mughal Indian King Akbar and was one of
the nine jewels of his court of rule.
Varieties of cultures have created barriers, opaque and so impermeable, that a human mind is
almost disconnected to most other minds. However, there is one subtle dimension that defies all
other barriers created differences, penetrating t the mind it touches the soul, this is the
beautiful dimension of Music. Music is a language that every heart can comprehend
irrespective of every perceptible difference. Music is the only universal language that soothes
the human spirit with remarkable uniformity. And while music nourishes the soul, but there are
alas, few souls that nourish the music. Miyan Tansen was one such to Indian classical music,
who nourished and enriched it.
It is difficult to create a picture of Tansen, because of the mammoth amount of myths
surrounding him. It is certainly known that he was born to a Hindu family, in a small village near
Gwalior. His real name was Ramtanu Pandey; he was bestowed with the title Miyan by the great
king Akbar, which means an honorable man. He was disciplined by Swami Haridas, who was a
great composer singer of his time. He is said to have a played a great role in the translation of
medium of singing from Sanskrit. Even though most of references to Miyan Tansen are found
with respect to the Mughal king, Tansens name has also been found amongst the fans of
Shuttari Tariqat a sufi spiritual lineage founded by Shaikh Muhammad Ghaus of Gwalior. The
burial of Tansen in his mausoleum indicates the conversion to the path of spiritual guide. As he
was also trained under Swami Haridas in the Bhakti tradition (a Hindu based spiritual
interaction). This led to a fusion style singing; a merger of Hindu and Muslim culture under one
style of singing.
During the early part of his life Tansen was also influenced by other singers in the Gwalior court
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Miyan Tansen

and also the musically proficient queen, Mriganayani, whose romance with king Akbar had been
forged on her singing;. Other musicians at Gwalior may have included Baiju Bawra Eventually,
he joined the court of King Ramachandra Baghela of Rewa, where he remained from 1555-1562
before the Mughal emperor heard of his talents and summoned him, and he then went to
Akbars court in 1562. Legend also states that Akbars daughter Meherunissa was enamored by
Tansen and had a great role in his coming to the court as one of the nine prestigious people in
the entire kingdom. The presence of musicians like Tansen in Akbar's court has been related by
historians to the theoretical position of making the empire's presence felt among the
population.
The fort at Fatehpur Sikri is strongly associated with Tansen's tenure at Akbar's court. Near the
emperor's chambers, a pond was built with a small island in the middle, where musical
performances were given. It is said that Tansen would perform during different times of the day,
and the king and his court would sit around and honor him with gold coins. Tansens house is
also alleged to be in the neighborhood. Other legends tell of his ability to bring wild animals to
listen with attention (or to talk their language). Once, a wild white elephant was captured, but it
was fierce and could not be tamed. Finally, Tansen sang to the elephant that calmed down and
the emperor was able to ride him. Miyan Tansen is said to have become so famous with the King
that other court men started plotting against him. They asked him to recite the Deepak Raga
(The word Deepak means light), which can set the singer on fire, shatter the glasses around
him. When Tansen did recite the Deepak raga, he shattered most of the glasses in the court, set
the lamps on fire and created so much heat that most of the flowers in the court dropped dead.
Tansen himself fell feverishly ill for almost two months. This performance only helped raise
Akbars respect for Tansen, and came as a shock to the other members of Akbars court. The
date of his death is largely controversial, some claim that he died shortly after his performance
of the Deepak Raga. Every year in December, an annual festival, the Tansen Samaroh, is held in
Gwalior to celebrate Tansen.

Bibliography
1. Maryam Juzer Kherulla. Profile: Tansen the mesmerizing maestro, Dawn newspaper, 200210-12. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
2. Ashok Davar (1987). Tansen - The Magical Musician. National Book Trust, India. This is wellwritten and well-illustrated children's book is a good source for the Tansen legend

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