People from all walks of elite circles thronged Rabindra Sadan to bid adieu to the phenomenon called Vijay Kichlu. While watching them file past their dear person’s mortal remains it suddenly dawned upon me that the two-word phrase ‘versatile genius’ and ‘Vijay Kichlu’ are synonymous. He was not merely a ‘Sculptor of Talent’ as hinted by the title of his authorized biography penned by me and published by Roli Books not long ago.
His persona actually developed in many directions and excelled in each aspect – without mixing one with the other. As a result, to some he was Pappu bhai, a very sincere friend who, despite having diversely different wavelength, maintained life-long relationships. To some he was a formidably high ranking official but with exemplarily polished behavior that never allowed him to throw or scribble any order without the prefix ‘Please’ even at the peak of anger. To some he was a party animal with a large number of friends due to his magnetic personality that entertained and educated all in equal measures and simultaneously. Some found him as a cricket and bridge addict while some knew him only as a fine player of badminton or squash or golf. His capability to navigate a serious or negative position into a light and positive mood was amazing; so was his ability to charm listeners with his extempore oratory or musicianship.
In a message erudite music connoisseur and record collector Rantidev Maitra wrote to me, ‘Extremely grieved at the news of Pandit Kichlu’s demise. Besides being such a knowledgeable musician, he was an epitome of good manners and etiquette. We will miss this rare ‘Bhadralok’ amongst musicians.’
Ironically, despite his sophisticated, suave personality, he was an incorrigible family man. He believed in retaining every relationship at any cost and went to the last extent to adjust and appease all; and while doing so he earned antagonism as well. A large number of his socialite friends swear by his light hearted jokes, lateefas and parodies of khayal compositions while some saw him as a very serious devotee, exponent, teacher, organizer, administrator, propagator and patron of Hindustani classical music.
Perhaps music was his highest worship. He was a fairly successful vocalist belonging to the Agra Gharana but his passion for initiating the uninitiated and supporting initiated musicians to grow beyond the limits of imagination drove him all his life to organize such soirees where one could enjoy classical music at its best. This trait of his made him form the Calcutta Music Circle with likeminded musicians and this elevated him as an epochmaking founder-director of the first successful modern Indian gurukul, internationally acclaimed Hindustani classical music institution Sangeet Research Academy.
‘His uniquely selfless style of work as the head of an institution has no precedence in history; neither we will see it in future,’ opines sarod expert Prattyush Banerjee, an extremely knowledgeable musician-thinker-writer-composer. It echoed the oft repeated words of tabla maestro Samar Saha, “Musicians of our generation should remain grateful to Saheb because it is he who reached us to this height!”
And yet the government of India found this sculptor of several Padma Bhushans fit enough for a Padmashri only when he was almost ninety! Thankfully Sangeet Natak Akademi recognized him as its Ratna Sadasyata Awardee.
A sportsman to the core Vijay Kichlu possessed an ‘attitude of gratitude’ of a yogi. He took everything, even failing health, happily and lightly and cracked jokes till his last .
(The writer is the author of ‘Vijay Kichlu: a Sculptor of Talent’)