Chatur Lal

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Chatur Lal (b. Udaipur, Rajasthan, 1925; d. 1965) was an Indian tabla player.

His life was summed up by his quote, "All My Efforts Have Served A Single Purpose: Sangat Both In Art And Life."

Yehudi Menhuhin once remarked that Pandit Chatur Lal was one of those few supreme pioneer musicians who won for India the great and growing following it now commands in the West. He stole the hearts of his audiences wherever he went with his art and his enchanting personality.

Pandit Chatur Lal was the first tabla player to gain international fame. A German disciple, Dr. Heimo Rau, called him the incarnation of the god of music who opened to the listener a fourth dimension of experience beyond time and space.

Born on April 16, 1926 at Udaipur, Chatur Lal had no formal education. He grew up in a family of musicians and poets of Rathore descent.

While yet a boy, Chatur Lal started a vigorous period of long and continues practice, which is the only way to attain perfection. Night after night Chatur Lal’s drum-beating became a source of nuisance for the local policeman in the night duty. One day the policeman lost his patience and knocked at the door and burst upon him: “You should be in bed at this time. You have no business to keep the locality awake.” A little frightened but undaunted, the little boy went on playing the Tabla every night, except when it was the time for the policemen to pass their house.

In 1947, Chatur Lal came to Delhi and joined All India Radio. Since 1948, he regularly participated in programmes and conferences all over the India and Abroad. He played with masters like to name few Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pt. Ravi Shakar, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, Late Ustad Vilayat Khan and many others.

In 1952, he went to Afghanistan with Pandit Omkarnath Thakur and in 1955, he visited Britain and United States on the invitation of Museum Of Modern Art and OMNIBUS, the Ford Foundation TV Workshop in performances with Sarod Maestro, Usatd Ali Akbar Khan. In 1957-58, he toured to North America and Europe with Pandit Ravi Shankar and in 1960 he visited the Soviet Union and Mongolia with Indian delegations. In 1961, he went on a World tour with Mrs. Sharan Rani. His last trip was in 1964 in association with Max Muller Bhawan, he organized a concert for his younger brother , Pt. Ram Narayan to West Germany which included 25 cities. Dr. Heimo Rau commented, “ In India and Germany will never forget him since for them he opened that gate to the Indian music.” This trip also took two brothers to France and Britain.

Commenting on the performances of Chatur lal, The famous German Newspaper, Frankfurter Rundschan, said “Our little drums are stuck with sticks. However virtuoso they may be, yet compared to the art of the Indian Tabla player, Chatur lal they sound barbarian. His playing sometimes sound like rhythmically arranged drops of rain, sometimes the finger flew over the membranes like a family of salamanders.”

Chatur lal developed a style of his own, noted for a lightning rhythmic pattern and an intimate understanding of the mood of the artiste he accompanied “his style”, Mr. Lothar Lutze of Max Muller Bhawan said, “amalgamated many different elements, among them south Indians ones, and with the artiste on his standing, became a personality – bound pure style. He always showed an uncanny adroitness and skill in his accompaniment, while his solo was notable for case, clarity, diversity and grace where that were all his own.

On the occasion of the Paluskar Musical Festival in Delhi in 1960, the music critic of the Statesman aptly commented on the style of the great percussionist “After the interval Chatur lal gave a fine Tabla recital. Playing with great skills and finesse and weaving his percussion sonorities into every conceivable caprice of form of rhythm, he gave proof of his supreme command of the instrument. With perfect coordination between the two hands, the artiste played with tremendous zest and fervor passing at times into a mood of rhythmical abandon. It was a most impressive recital – forceful, fluent and almost unbelievably elemental in its rhythmic appeal.

His collaboration produced a number of classic LPs, as well as inspiring great interest amongst Western audiences and musicians. He worked, too, as composer on the 1957 animated short film A Chairy Tale'.

The “Drums of India” and “Drums On Fire” are some of the important solo recordings of Pandit Chatur Lal in Hollywood’s ‘World Pacific Recordings’ but for the patronage of the World Pacific Records not only one of the unique masterpieces of the Chatur Lal as recorded in the ‘Drums of India’ but also the views of the master of Tabla and Sarangi would have remained shrouded in oblivion for ever.

He died at the age of 39, at the height of his powers. His legacy is maintained by the Pandit Chatur Lal Memorial Society By his elder son Pt. Charanjit Chaturlal, his daughter-in-law Meeta Lal and his grand-daughter Shruti Lal who are doing amazing contribution in the World of Indian Classical Music.

Pandit Chaturlal Memorial Society 011-26254969.