Tansen is a historical account, abridged into a short story that details the life and death of Tansen. The story outlines his moments of glory and constructs a tale of his talent and his charm. In this tutorial, we are going to learn about the success of Tansen in detail.
Tansen was born to Mukandan Misra and his wife. He could perfectly imitate the sounds made by birds and other wild animals which he uses to prank a band of musicians headed by Swami Haridas. Impressed with his talent, Swami Haridas makes him his disciple and hones his skills.
After his parent’s death, he goes on to live with Mohammed Ghaus and plays in the court of Rani Mrignaini. His eventual popularity led him to the court of Akbar where he was appointed for his pleasant voice and undeniable talent. Jealous of his success, Shaukat Mian makes a request to Akbar with malicious intent. He asks Tansen to sing the Raag Deepak, a song powerful enough to kill the singer by turning him to ashes.
Tansen trains his daughter and her friend to sing Raag Megha to cool down the effects of Raag Deepak as he is singing them. In the end, Tansen succeeds, though he is faced with an illness and becomes frail with sickness. Shaukat Mian is punished for his misdeeds and the story ends with Tansen receiving critical acclaim.
The story is a reminder of how talent flourishes even when faced with life-altering situations. Keeping a composed mind was one of the reasons why Tansen was able to successfully defeat Shaukat Mian.
The theme of the story centers around the birth and death of Tansen. There is a lack of symbolism or genre in the short story as it is about the biography of Tansen. The short story can be summed up as a portrayal of Tansen’s talent through folklore rather than verified history. While there are no accounts proving that the short story is true, it is safe to assume that the story might have been formulated to praise the great Talent of Tansen.
The moral of the story can be understood in three parts. The first is the importance of understanding your skill and honing it. Since Tansen was not a natural singer, Swami Haridas’s training honed his existing skills of imitation to something more melodious. The second is to trust your talent. No matter what the setting, it is important to remember that your talents will prevail regardless of conspiracies or misdeeds. The third is to honour someone’s talent. Shaukat should have honoured Tansen’s talent rather than being jealous of it.
The story is set in India and takes place in a multitude of settings over several decades. Therefore, it supposedly harbors three central characters with three side characters.
There are six characters present in the story given as follows:
Tansen, the singer
Swami Haridas, the musician
Mohammed Ghaus, the holy man
Rani Mrignaini, another musician
Akbar, the Emperor
Shaukat Mian, the conspirator
The story develops in accordance with the introduction of the characters. While it would be wrong to assume that any party in the aforementioned story is purely good or evil as it is folklore rather than a historical account, it would be right to mention that Shaukat Mian could have made more sensible decisions.
It becomes easier to understand Shaukat Mian’s motivations when we realize that he was an ambitious man who was overshadowed by Tansen. It is possible that this led to his irrational jealousy and decision-making.
Q1. “Jealousy ruins lives.” How does the story justify the aforementioned statement?
Ans. The story clearly justifies the aforementioned statement as it allows us to explore how Shaukat Mian’s jealousy could have led to the downfall of Tansen’s family. If Tansen indeed lost his life during the song, it would have led to the downfall of his family and would have ruined the lives of his wife and his daughter. It would have also resulted in the loss of the greatest singing talent.
Q2. What role did Tansen’s daughter and her friend play during his life-altering situation?
Ans. Tansen’s daughter, Saraswati, and her friend, Rupvati played a major role in saving Tansen’s life against Raag Deepak. Tansen appointed Saraswati and Rupvati to sing Raag Megha at the right moment when his Raag Deepak lights up a lamp. By doing so, Saraswati and Rupvati would cool down the effects of Raag Deepak which would allow Tansen a chance at life. Tansen trusted his daughter and her friend with his life and they were successful in doing so.
Q3. Did Tansen’s talent warrant such a reaction from Shaukat Ali? If not, why do you think so?
Ans. No, Shaukat Ali should not have been jealous of Tansen. By looking at him as a competitor and a contender for Akbar’s affection, Shaukat Ali chose not to respect his craft and his gift for singing. He should have honoured Tansen’s gift for singing as it was rare and should have appreciated him as it would have only made Shaukat greater in the eyes of Akbar.
Q4. What major characteristics of Tansen have been outlined in the story?
Ans. The major characteristics of the owner outlined in the story are:
Wit & Sharpness of Mind
Love for his Craft
Discipline & Sincerity
Q5. Why did Swami Haridas not take offense to Tansen’s naughtiness?
Ans. Swami Haridas was a curator of talent. He chose to look beyond Tansen’s naughtiness as he had identified a great singer and a strong voice. Tansen’s imitation of a tiger’s roar was so impeccable that it impressed Swami Haridas. By focusing on his skill rather than the prank, Swami Haridas curated the best of all talents.
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