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Tansen: Talent and Triumph in Music

Tansen was recognized for his exceptional talent in music, particularly his ability to imitate animal sounds, which impressed Swami Haridas. Akbar invited Tansen to join his court due to his remarkable singing skills, and the emperor frequently sought his performances and gifts. However, Tansen faced jealousy from other courtiers who plotted against him, leading to a dangerous situation involving the Raga Deepak, which he cleverly countered by teaching Raga Megh to his daughter to summon rain and save himself.

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79 views2 pages

Tansen: Talent and Triumph in Music

Tansen was recognized for his exceptional talent in music, particularly his ability to imitate animal sounds, which impressed Swami Haridas. Akbar invited Tansen to join his court due to his remarkable singing skills, and the emperor frequently sought his performances and gifts. However, Tansen faced jealousy from other courtiers who plotted against him, leading to a dangerous situation involving the Raga Deepak, which he cleverly countered by teaching Raga Megh to his daughter to summon rain and save himself.

Uploaded by

extremeultrainstinct
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Tansen

Question 1: Why did Swami Haridas say Tansen was ‘talented’?

Answer: Tansen could imitate the calls of birds and animals perfectly. One day, he tried
to frighten Swami Haridas, along with his disciples who settled down in a shady grove to
take rest. When the travellers found out it was Tansen who made the sound, Swami
Haridas was impressed by his skill and called him ‘talented’.

Question 2: Why did Akbar ask Tansen to join his court?

Answer: Tansen was famous for his singing skill. Once Tansen went to Akbar’s court to
sing and Akbar was highly impressed with his performance and so he asked Tansen to
join his court immediately.

Question 3: How do we know that Akbar was fond of Tansen? Give two reasons.

Answer: we know that Akbar was fond of Tansen as The Emperor would often call
upon Tansen to sing at any time of the day for a performance. Akbar would often just
walk into Tansen’s house to hear him practice. Besides that, he would also give the
singer various beautiful presents.

Question 4: What did the other courtiers feel about Tansen?

Answer: With the increase in Tansen’s popularity, the other courtiers of Akbar’s court
became jealous of him. They decided to ruin his music career and get rid of him forever.

Question 5:

(i) What happens if Raga Deepak is sung properly?

(ii) Why did Tansen’s enemies want him to sing the Raga?

Answer:

1. If Raga Deepak is sung properly, the air and surroundings becomes so hot that
the singer is burnt to ashes.
2. Some courtiers of Akbar’s court were jealous of Tansen and his popularity and
soon they became his enemies. They wanted him to sing Raga Deepak so that
he would die out of heat and burn to ashes.
Question 6: Why did Tansen agree to sing Raga Deepak?

Answer: Tansen was afraid to sing Raga Deepak, but agreed to sing it as he dared not
disobey the king. Besides, he also wanted to exhibit his singing ability and talent in
music.

Question 7:

(i) What steps did he take to save himself?

(ii) Did his plan work? How?

Answer:

1. Tansen requested the king to allow him some time to prepare for it. In the
meantime, he taught Raga Megh to his daughter, Saraswati, and her friend,
Rupvati for two weeks. He told them that soon after he completes singing Raga
Deepak, they should start singing Raga Megh to bring rain and appease the
effect of the heat.
2. Yes, Tansen’s plan worked perfectly. When he sang Raga Deepak, the
surroundings became warm, Just then Saraswati and Rupvati began to sing
Raga Megh, the sky filled with dark clouds and the rain came down suddenly and
this saved Tansen’s life and the surroundings from more damage.

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