LEARNING KIRTAN WITH JAGARANJI

TRAINING SESSION IN RARHI KIRTAN:

Six of us went to the Rarhi kirtan training session at Dabar village, in Purulia with Jagaran Mahato recently: Mahajoy from the USA, Kavita from Ireland/London, Tinku from Dabar, and Latika (Lidia) from Ireland/Italy, Malanie from Ireland and myself. Kavita and Tinku took up the khol playing, Mahajoy, Latika and Melani were the cymbal or kartal players extraordinaire, (they never missed a beat) and Chorus singing and I was learning lead vocals and playing guitar. Some of us were there only two weeks some for over a month but it was an amazing learning curve..every day sitting with him for a couple of hours, and learning by direct transmission.. watching, copying, following his signs, his singing, his beats, without talking about it.. without writing, just singing, playing, and repeating it again and again till it sunk in..
One interesting story about Jagaranji is that out of many kirtan gurus I met in Rarh, I chose him to teach me, yet I don’t really know why. I had seen him perform with his group at the First Rarhi International Kirtan festival that Tinku and I organised two years before and was impressed with his groups performance which was very comprehensive and devotional. I could see that he was very knowledgeable, strict with his disciples, and systematic in his teaching. Then after learning the kirtans in the traditional mantra of Hari Bolo for some time with Jagaranji, I asked him one day if we could sing it in Baba Nam Kavalam mantra, meaning Love is all there is, or everything is an expression of Divine Love.. he said yes and told us, that actually he had been asked to teach kirtan at the Ananda Marga school in Purulia by Dada Ramananda, Babas PA for many years, so he knew the Baba Nam kevalam mantra. He began the work with Dadaji and was initiated by him, then after some time Dadaji was re posted, so he stopped his teaching there. So now he was singing BNK with us again and it was truly ecstatic.
Lidia and Mahajoy write:
Jagaran Mahatos teaching method is possibly the most effective teaching method I have experienced. It involves no talking and no explanations. It is based on capturing every ounce of attention from the student, full alertness of all the senses and your intuition. Once he has that, he simply feeds you melody and rhythm and draws music out of you. His classes are very intense, productive, and thoroughly riveting. With the use of repetition he takes you through the chosen kīrtans, from beginning to end and he succeeds in making you follow him. His method is as ancient as the kīrtan itself, and is conducted through direct transmission from guru to student with the aid of clear and effective hand signals, facial expressions, and emphasis on the rhythm. He lets you know what he needs of you, and when you get it wrong he humorously threatens you with corporal punishment (always with a smile on his face). And when you get it right it is a pleasure and a joy to witness the bliss on his face, then you know the magic is really happening! – Lidia, Italy
Jaragaran Mahato teaches with a very consistent, style. I learned the kīrtan singing and cymbals kartal. He is very clear about what to play, when to stop, start, and which stroke to use. He shows with gestures and demonstrations. He is constantly aware of everything going on, and doesn’t allow us to miss a beat. I am always confident that he will direct me to the right rhythm because the kīrtans we are learning are complex and elaborate. I am very pleased that he is teaching us the basic framework, patiently and methodically. I plan to learn with him again. Mahajoy Laufer, USA,