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As his melodious voice reached the crescendo, the oil lamps around the room lit up one by one. A hush followed immersing everyone present in an ethereal world. There was something in that voice. There was something in that man. His voice has beguiled thousands for years including the great Mughal emperor Akhbar. Considered as one of the Navaratnas Nine Ministers (the nine jewels) of Akhbar’s court he somewhere got camouflaged between facts and fiction. He is Tansen, the Sangeet Samrat of India.
Flipping through the pages of history when I read about Tansen as a child, he appeared more mystical than a real person. You tell me, how can a mere human being light up oil lamps with Raga Deepak or usher in the rain with Raga Megh Malhar? Have you ever wondered that yourself? As impossible as it may seem, standing at his tomb in Gwalior will wash away all doubts. For here he lies beneath the dazzling light of the morning sun and the canopy of starry night as real as he could be. Making you believe maybe the legends are not all incorrect.
Leaving behind the constant commotion of the crowded street as you step into the premises of the tomb complex, you will instantly know you have entered a holy site. It may appear to be any other usual tomb but then remember here rests the blessed man who despite being a real person surpassed that reality only to go down in history as a mythical legend.
Resting right where his Sufi Master Shaikh Muhammad Ghaus lies eternally, Tansen, at last, is surrounded by the chirpings of the birds of the ornately decorated surrounding gardens, the gentle whispering of the blowing breeze and the soulful call out of the day’s prayers. And in all those sounds a bit of his soul still remains, only if you want to believe, creating a never-ending melody.
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