By Srilatha Krishna

Morsing, the smallest instrument in a Carnatic concert, adds a distinct melodic flavour in a percussion ensemble. It has other names such as jaw harp, Jew’s harp, mouth harp, and mukha shankha; versions of this instrument are played in many parts of the world. The state of Assam in India is home to a bamboo variant of this instrument called the gogona, which is played during the festival of Bihu. The instrument made its entry at Carnatic concerts, possibly, in the early 1900s. The South Indian version of this instrument (morsing) is made of brass and can be tuned to slightly different pitches. Percussionists typically articulate the mridangam syllables (jati) while playing the instrument, allowing it to blend with the percussion ensemble.

The story of this instrument in Karnataka is closely tied to the legendary artist L. Bhimachar. Born on 20 May 1931, he had a rich career as a morsing artist. He passed away on 1 October 2024. Currently, his children and grandchildren are torchbearers of his legacy. Trained under his artistic guidance, they have been lighting up concert stages with their masterful handling of this pocket-sized instrument.

Bhimachar — Pioneer of a musical tradition

Born in a family of jewellers, Bangalore L. Bhimachar was exposed to music at a young age. Inspired by the music of Honnappa Bhagavatar and B. S. Rajam Iyengar, he enrolled for vocal lessons under H. Puttachar. But as his family business did not allow him to dedicate enough time for vocal training, he persuaded the master to teach him the mridangam. But it was serendipity that made him pick up the tiny morsing in the early 1940s.

He was able to play the instrument with ease. Fortunately, there were no morsing artists in the city at that time. Soon, he started getting opportunities to play at concerts. He honed his morsing skills by listening to senior All India Radio (AIR) artists such as Madras R.V. Pakkirisamy and Pudukkottai Mahadevan. It was not long before he started accompanying great musicians of those days.

In 1979, when AIR, Bangalore, opened a position for a morsing artist, he became the first to play for them. Over time, he developed his own style of playing the instrument, and distinguished himself from his peers. While a majority of the artists enunciated the percussion syllables of the mridangam quite forcefully, he emphasised only on syllables that suited the morsing, and thus created the ‘Bhimachar bani’.

His keen sense of rhythm and melody brought him the recognition of eminent artists such as T. Chowdiah, P. Bhuvaneswaraiah, and Lalgudi Jayaraman. During his long and active career, Bhimachar accompanied musicians of several generations, recorded albums and took the instrument to foreign shores, and became the uncrowned ‘Emperor of Morsing’.

Bhimachar received many awards and accolades during his lifetime such as Karnataka Kala Shree — Karnataka Sangeetha Nruthya Academy; Ananya Puraskar — Ananya GML Cultural Academy; Ganakala Bhushana; Karnataka Gana Parishat, Bengaluru; Laya Kala Nipuna—Percussive Arts Center, Bengaluru; Sangatya Award; Palani Subramanya Pillai award— Guruvayur Dorai Trust, Chennai; Chowdiah Memorial National Award— Government of Karnataka; Lifetime Achievement Awards—Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (Tirupati), and Kadri Memorial Trust (Mangaluru) to name a few.

Although many accolades and awards have come his way, his greatest achievement is inspiring his family members to follow his footsteps. His children, B. Rajashekar and Bhagyalakshmi M. Krishna, have thriving careers as senior morsing artists. His eldest son, (late) Dhruvaraj, was a successful mridangist. Three of his grandchildren are also getting trained in both mridangam and morsing, and are looking forward to taking the legacy of Bhimachar to another generation of music lovers.

Finding joy in the Jaw Harp

Rajashekar and Bhagyalakshmi were surrounded by music all their lives. Their mother, S. Jayamma, was a singer. Additionally, their father conducted monthly concerts at their home and many of his friends from the music fraternity often visited them. All this made their home a hub of musical activity.

B. Rajashekar was born on 10 January 1961 into this musical environment. However, his path to the morsing was circuitous. Bhimachar was quite keen that Rajashekar should learn to sing and sent him for vocal lessons with vidwans Ramaiah, Srikantachar, and H. Puttachar. Unfortunately, the youngster faced problems with his voice during his teens. He then decided to switch to the violin, with vidwan Anoor Ramakrishna as his teacher.

However, destiny awaited him in the form of the percussion band, Laya Lahari, of the Ayyanar College of Music. The band needed a morsing artist and they convinced him to pick up the instrument, thus inaugurating his musical career. He became a permanent member of the troupe. A high point of his time with them was a performance at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the year 1982, in front of Giani Zail Singh, the then President of India.

It is surprising to learn that Rajashekar never received formal training in percussion. He picked up much of his skills by observing his father and other artists and through discussions with his artist-friends. As a member of Kadri Gopalnath’s team, Rajashekar had countless opportunities to observe in close quarters, accomplished tavil artists such as A. K. Palanivel, Tanjavur Govindarajan, Mannargudi Vasudevan, and K. A. Kaliyamurthi. As a result, he has created his own style, about which he says, “My style is quite original. It cannot really be called the Bhimachar bani. I think my sister’s style is closer to our father’s when compared to mine.” He recalled that senior musicians such as Lalgudi Jayaraman and K. M. Vaidyanathan appreciated the uniqueness of his style. He is also known for his playful imitations of sounds of birds in his concerts.

His well-known association with Kadri Gopalnath started from 1989. “Our lives as Carnatic instrumentalists moved along predictable lines until the movie Duet happened. Kadri Sir’s concerts became larger than life after that”, recalled Rajashekar. “I have spent most of my career with him and am grateful for having had the opportunity to be part of his team. I have travelled widely with him. It is due to his support and encouragement that I am continuing on this journey”, he adds, with gratitude.

His eclectic training in vocal music and violin make him a sensitive accompanist. He has performed with numerous renowned musicians in his career of almost five decades, and also travelled abroad extensively for music performances. He has also participated in many jugalbandhis with Hindustani musicians as part of Kadri Gopalnath’s team. He received the AIR A-grade artist in 2009— the first morsing player from Karnataka to receive this distinction.

Rajashekar has been the recipient of several honours, including the Layakala Pratibha Mani from the Percussive Arts Centre, Bengaluru; the Nada Chintamani from Chintamani Gayana Samaja; and the title of Asthana Vidwan conferred by the Kanchi Sri Kamakoti Peetam, among others.

The leading Lady of Morsing

Bhagyalakshmi was barely ten years old when she started her morsing lessons. Puttachar’s son, H.P. Ramachar, was searching for a morsing artist for the Karnataka Mahila Laya Madhuri, a women’s percussion band that he had assembled. He met her father and requested him to train her in the instrument. “I picked it up in a matter of two months and joined the team. All my early training happened right on concert stages!” she laughed. She picked up systematic lessons later. Even today, despite being a busy performer, she continues to learn the nuances of percussion from vidwans H.S. Sudhindra, Sukanya Ramgopal, and her own brother.

Her life as a female morsing artist has been very rewarding. Audiences everywhere receive her with great enthusiasm. She holds her own when performing with senior percussionists in the traditionally male-dominated field. “My father used to say that my sense of rhythm, the clarity of morsing-play, and stage presence—all contribute to success The leading Lady of Morsing on stage,” explains Bhagyalakshmi. It is a common sight to see members of the audience rush backstage and ask to see her morsing. She responds to such requests with warmth and, sometimes, even demonstrates it briefly.

She is a part of the Stree Taal Tarang, the all-women percussion ensemble directed by vidushi Sukanya Ramgopal. She has travelled all over the globe with them. She visited Russia, in an event organised by the ICCR to celebrate 75 Years of Indian Independence and 75 years of Indo-Russian Diplomatic Relations. She received a special prize for participating in the ‘Ghatam Morching Tarang’ at the Madras Music Academy’s annual music conference in December 1996. She has been performing every year at this conference since 2007.

Bhagyalakshmi is presently an A-grade artist of AIR, Bangalore, and has featured in many programs on national television and radio. Her discography includes albums Rainbow, Panchakshari, Pulsation, Layamrutham, and Shiva Shakti Swayambhu.

Known for her quicksilver responses during percussive dialogues in concerts, Bhagyalakshmi pushes the boundaries of the instrument’s capabilities, infusing her performances with excitement while honouring the rhythms passed down by her father and her teachers. She says that one of her wishes is to train more women in percussion, especially in the morsing. Bhagyalakshmi has won several accolades over the years, including first prizes in percussion and instrumental competitions conducted by Bangalore Gayana Samaja (1996) and the South Central Zone Cultural Centre (2002). She was conferred the Ananya Yuva Puraskara in 2014. Between 2019 and 2024, she received multiple honours including the Nadajyothi Puraskara, Indira Sivasailam Foundation Special Award, and the Purandara Vittala Prashasti, to name a few.

Kin and continuity

The siblings have done much to promote the instrument. They both enjoy educating the public about the instrument and have given lectures demonstrating the different varieties of the jaw harp from around the world, which they picked up during their international travels.

Along with recognition from musicians and fans, Bhimachar and his children have received numerous awards over the years, celebrating their individual achievements.

However, they have also taken time off to perform as a family. They have given life to their father’s concept of using the morsing as a melodic instrument through their ‘Morching Tarang’. They showcased this concept during their trip to Amsterdam in July 2006 to perform at the Fifth International Jews Harp festival. In a dazzling display of creativity, they gave a thirty-minute performance of ‘Morching Tarang’— a musical piece with multiple morsings, each tuned to a different note of the same raga. This has also been released as an album Mohaka Morching.

Bhagyalakshmi and Rajashekar represent the culmination of their family’s dedication to the field of music. They have trained the third generation of percussionists in their own family. Bhagyalakshmi’s son, Likhit, is already proficient in morsing and has won the first prize in the AIR competitions for his performance. For this lineage, the morsing is more than just a niche instrument— it is a symbol of history, and a bridge connecting generations.

(The author is a Carnatic vocalist, teacher and an independent researcher)