Sunil - the man, the sadhak, the musician

Remembering Sunil

Manoj Das Gupta

Managing Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Ashram

Where the Music Was Coming From

Then there was a key piece where he had to compose the music for Temptations of Buddha, Buddha who goes into meditation. And the Maras, the hostile forces that come to, you know, to allure him, in that piece Sunilda composed some music which is quite other than the usual rhythmic Indian music.

And Sunilda told me that, 'This is how Mother slowly showed me the path of the music.' And he once told me that composing this music for the dances, he was slowly getting disgusted. The same type of music, you know, a sort of inner revolt. 'No more of this music.'

The Sitarist Who Became an Organist

Sunil had had a very good grounding in Indian classical music. In fact his family had a background in Indian music. His elder brother, Jhumur's father Anil, used to play on the sarod. And Sunilda was a very good sitarist, an excellent sitarist. He gave up the sitar because, unfortunately, after just a few years, he had an accident where he broke his wrist and he could no longer play it. And he used to play such a wonderful sitar. From there he switched to playing the harmonium. And then he went on to the organ.

Tears by the Organ

Mother says that Sunil is open to the world of true music. From the very source from where Mother used to get the inspiration, get the music. Sunil had the access.

You see, once I had a very touching experience. You know Mother had hummed Mahalakshmi's theme and she had given Sunil to compose the music. For two years he tried something or other. And then he realized that nothing can go. And so one day I just got into that music room and I saw that Sunil was all alone in front of the organ listening to the Mother's voice. And there Sunil was just sitting in a meditative mood and if I'm not mistaken I saw tears slowly trickling down… And quietly I removed myself. I could see that it was a depth of spiritual experience through music.

No Commercial — Absolutely Firm

From that day he knew that Mother is looking after him and he stopped completely the whole idea of selling the music in order to be able to buy tapes and other things. And he never… although there were many people, temptations …. 'These will sell in Europe, America,' and you know he could earn money for Mother, and all that. But Sunil was absolutely firm on that: No commercial.

Pots From the Kitchen

He was composing music for dance, because that was Mother's wish. Every year we used to have a yearly program. And how many dances… the music is all lost because we didn't have any space to do it. What did we have? That harmonium I used to play. Sunil used to play. And my big brother. Then suddenly he would have some idea and he would run downstairs and he would snatch a pot from my mother's kitchen and my mother would be shouting, 'What are you doing?' and he said, 'I'm taking it.' And then a piece of wood. He would come and ask Manoj, 'Go and bang it like that from that distance.' Through the mike it sounded so different. All these ideas.

Sunilda told me an interesting experience. He said he was thinking of this music and one day he was taking his bath and after the bath, as he was coming out right on the doorstep the whole thing came down. And as an answer from the earth, an aspiration of the light. He said, 'I could not move, I was stuck there.'

Sunil's Last Birthday 

Beyond the corridor we met Manoj who wished him happy birthday. Most affectionately Sunil-da caressed his face and jovially remarked, "Oh! Here is our trustee… the boy is intelligent!"

Ranganath

Former student of Sunil's at the Ashram school

The Chess Champion

At school, he used to tell us a story of how once he won the intercollegiate chess championship. He said that he was there playing chess, it was the finals, and he suddenly saw that his position was not very strong, but he also remembered that the position was very close to one ending that he had read about in the papers. So then he applied the knowledge of what he had seen in that and he kept on sacrificing pieces. And all his supporters there were getting more and more nervous and saying 'what is he doing?' He sacrificed his rook, his knight and everything. His opponent was very glad he was falling to pieces. Finally with only one rook, even the queen, he sacrificed his queen also. But finally with just one rook and one small pawn, he checkmated the fellow and he won the competition. Whatever he did he always did well.

Captain of the Football Team

Everything he took up, you know, he excelled at it. He was the captain of the football team in the Ashram. He was a great dasher. He used to play center forward for the Ashram. Mother used to encourage us sometimes to go out and play with the outside teams and she never wanted us to lose. And once they went to Cuddalore and the Ashram boys won the match one nil. One nil is a pretty good score, it's not bad. So, Mother, when she heard they had won by one said, 'That's all? You only won by one goal?' So then, laughingly he told her that was a pretty good match and that we had beaten the other team quite convincingly.

His Face Lit Up

He used to go into the house there, I used to see him. And really it was fascinating to see him, to watch him practise his music. One day while having dinner together he was saying that now he had entered a phase where he was very much interested in harmonies and chords and he said, 'That's what I'm interested in now,' and his face lighted up like that.

Victor Jauhar

Sunil's long-time recording technician and close companion

He Never Said There Was No Time

Human type of difficulties he took very well in his stride. I mean, rarely he spoke… when things were not working out he would just shut and then go. And then the next day he'd start fresh again. And you never had this sense of time is running out, never. I mean with him it was so easy. He used to go through time as if there was a lot of time still and yet he finished everything perfectly in the right place.

That is, mainly Savitri, I would say. He finished Book ten, canto four and then he fell ill and here, you see, I think people, like… they don't work. He was bedridden at the most four months or six months, like that and then he left. It's not that he became an old man and all that. He was always young until he couldn't work. His limbs were not working, his hands were not working. Everything, there was difficulty. You could see he was playing with great difficulty, but he never expressed that. Never. But somewhere I felt, also, that he was having problems. We used to help him up to his room upstairs. So the routine had set in.

Sunil's Last Birthday — The Final Pilgrimage

Victor Jauhar accompanied Sunil on his last birthday visit to Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's rooms, and wrote a moving account:

Monday, the 3rd of November 1997

The body was failing him; but his usual peaceful expression and quiet will to ever move forward, throughout veiled with a psychic glow the gravity of his physical condition. As in the previous years, he was specially invited to visit Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's room (around 9:00 a.m.), and I was fortunate to accompany him. I drove him by car to the rear gate of the Ashram that was specially opened for him. With my help he laboured up the stairs; Nirod-da and Kumud were both waiting for him. Emotional, loving and still gasping to get back his breath, he caressed Nirod-da's face with both his hands and exclaimed, "You are my one and only elder brother!" Nirod-da was probably taken somewhat by surprise but seemed moved.

Then on we proceeded, and Nirod-da opened the door to Sri Aurobindo's room.

With reverence and hands clasped he stood facing Sri Aurobindo's majestic couch, while I firmly held his arm with both hands. At times I heard him whimpering softly, but he gathered himself. Then just before leaving, in spite of his painful, injured back, with great will and effort he bowed down and touched his forehead to the ground.

The steep stairs up to Mother's room were a greater ordeal; it was an obvious strain on his heart but he had to make it, and he did. He stepped into Her room with deep and laboured breathing, and Kumud immediately pulled up a stool for him. He was tired and gladly accepted to sit.

Then he looked around for a few moments and finally broke down in tears. It pained my heart to see him thus, for never had I seen him broken before nor remotely ever disturbed.

While I gently caressed his back, Nirod-da asked him what happened. Looking towards the Mother's reclining bed he said, "So many things, I remember." Kumud showed her concern and asked him which flower he would like to have, and then herself suggested: "Sunil-da, here is Divine Love, take Divine Love." With a brushing movement of his hand he said, "No, no, I don't need all that! I neither want Divine Love nor do I want any love; I have seen much of love."

Then he looked at the tray of flowers and himself picked up Divine Grace.

On returning downstairs, the door facing the Samadhi was flung wide open for him and he had a last longing look at the Samadhi. Nirod-da went and brought him a flower. Back home he was loving, yet brief with his well-wishers waiting for him, then went right up to compose. He placed the Divine Grace flower on the organ, sank into his chair, and thanked me; …and I took his leave.

That day, I was left with the feeling that it had been his last pilgrimage, and somewhere he probably knew that.

Dated: 2nd of July 1998
Victor Jauhar

Minnie (Sunil's Sister)

Minnie was Sunil's elder sister, who sang in his recordings and witnessed his creative life from within the household.

When the Music Burst Open

It was not always very, very loud. Sometimes suddenly it would, it was like a symphony, it would just burst open.

You see, it was a daily affair. We didn't always have time to sit and listen to the music all the time. … It was fantastic. We didn't realize…

The Composer With a Mission

For quite some time every month Sunil used to have to compose fifteen minutes, not longer than that and we used to all go there in the playground and Mother would come in and we had to play.

He was composing music for dance, because that was Mother's wish. Every year we used to have a yearly program. And how many dances… the music is all lost because we didn't have any space to do it. What did we have? That harmonium I used to play. Sunil used to play. And my big brother. Then suddenly he would have some idea and he would run downstairs and he would snatch a pot from my mother's kitchen and my mother would be shouting, 'What are you doing?' and he said, 'I'm taking it.'

Shobha

Dancer and choreographer for the Ashram programs

The Mother Asked: Where Did You Get This From?

My first musical contact with Sunilda was in 1954. The Mother had asked me to present a short dance for the 1st of December, the school Anniversary program, on two themes: Devotion and Aspiration. She told me that She would ask Sunilda to compose Music for my dance. The first part — Devotion — was composed in the traditional Indian style. The second part — Aspiration — was very special. It was a totally new composition, a new type of music which I had never heard before. It has long penetrating notes played by Kanakda on the electric guitar. It sort of completely hypnotized me. I was then only 20. Never had I experienced this balmy effect of music on my body. It was just magnificent!

On the rehearsal day the music began. I started dancing before the Mother. Somewhere, in the middle of the Aspiration music, I experienced a special feeling which I cannot forget. As Sunilda's music went higher and higher my body too like a feather soared in the air. The stage wings, the roof of the stage — everything disappeared. I was floating like a feather with the music.

The dance was over. The Mother told me whatever She had to say about my dance, then, with a brisk movement She caught my right hand and started walking straight towards Sunilda who was standing on the other end of the stage. The Mother stood in front of Sunilda and gave him a very significant look. Then She asked, 'Where have you got this music from?' Sunilda did not answer. He looked at the Mother silently.

I have a strong feeling that this Aspiration music was Sunilda's first entry to the world of what Mother calls 'the Music of the New Age'.

Steve

Sunil's recording technician from later years

Alternate Instrument Creativity

He used a lot of alternate instrument creativity in the 60s. He used tea cups filled with different amounts of water for xylophone or chimes-like sounds. There was the piano that they had removed the back of and used as a harp. He also did pitch-shifting with the tape deck. They recorded at half-speed and then played it back at double speed or vice versa, so the sound was shifted up or down by an octave. The effect was not the same as if they had just played at a higher octave. Also the guitar was used in an original way as a violin. That remained a basic element of the music throughout.

He Didn't Like Multiple Takes

He had no problem playing the music over and over again with Kanak, and Klosterman too, until they learned it. He didn't like to record multiple takes, but didn't mind playing quite a few times with them and I think he made changes as he played. But whenever singers came, or actually anyone that wasn't part of his regular group, he would not want to either rehearse much or take more than one or two takes. One of the reasons was he thought the 'feeling' would go and it would become mechanical.

After Devi Sukta — Passed Out

As I heard it, it happened in the room that later became the studio. He actually passed out and maybe was out for a while, and he wrote to the Mother about it and she told him that this is what had happened, i.e. something had come down. He used to lock himself in the room so that nobody would disturb him from the front door, but one of the side doors was always open a crack just because of that… he or Chhobi feared that he'd be in there passed out and nobody would be able to get in.

Rolf Gelewski

German dancer and choreographer, University of Bahia, Brazil

An Encounter in the Mother's Room

"In 1968 I visited for the first time the Sri Aurobindo Ashram to present there a recital of creative dancing. It so happened that during a rehearsal at the theatre a member of the Ashram community came in and brought a tape with 'The Mother's Music' asking me to dance it during the show. The music was not familiar to me and at first, it sounded strange to me, but I did as requested and opening myself and giving myself to it, I performed it on that same night. Later on I learned that 'The Mother's Music' was the music composed by an Indian, who was a resident of the Ashram — Sunil. And, a significant coincidence, I was asked by the Mother to listen together with her to new compositions of Sunil on the following morning (Music for the poem Savitri from Sri Aurobindo) and it was there, in the Mother's room, that Sunil and I met for the first time."

A Last Inscription

Chhobi — Sunil's sister — would make a final entry in the truncated autobiography she had been helping him write:

Sunil, the unique Divine composer cum musician 'sacrificed' his body on Thursday the 30th April 1998 at 1 p.m.

Sunil's family says he was fond of these lines of Rabindranath Tagore:

On the day of my departure
May I not fail to utter
These my words of gratitude:
All I've seen,
All I've received,
Are beyond compare!