Kathmandu Virtuoso Pandit Hom Nath Upadhyaya offered himself to the art of tabala. More than five decades of his 73 years to Nepali classical music as a scholar, teacher and performer, the maestro of tabala was one of the foundations of Nepali classical music. “He was one personality who contributed to the development, promotion and preservation of Nepali classical music. His contribution was more than that of an oraganisation or mahavidhyala,” Dr Dhrubesh Chandra Regmi, sitar player, expressed about Pt Upadhyaya. “He was the heavyweight of Nepali classical music and we have lost a national treasure.” Pt Upadhyaya succumbed to liver cancer on September 7. Dr Regmi did his first public concert when he was 12 years and it was Pt Upadhyaya who accompanied him then. Since then, they performed countless times adding, “Everyone would want him to be their tabala player. If they got him on the tabala, they would need no other tabala player! And when he played, he would attract everyone to him.” Pt Upadhyaya was not only a good performer but a good teacher and speaker who could talk about music, as per the sitar player. Despite his calibre, he was “simple and positive” who was “never proud despite his immense talent”. Hence, he was an inspiration to Dr Regmi. Teaching was his speciality. Be it folk, classical or contemporary music, students of Pt Upadhyaya are active in the Nepali music scene. “If you see the numbers of tabala players who are playing professionally, 80 per cent of them are the products of Pt Upadhyaya,” added Dr Regmi. There are several generations of tabala players in whom Pt Upadhyaya has left his legacy. Tabala player and Associate Professor Achyut Ram Bhandary is one of the first. He was 13 years old when he took lessons from the maestro in 1972. “He would teach students as per their level,” he said about his teacher’s teaching speciality. “I was just a son of a farmer. I went to him to learn the tabala wondering how it would be like. But he made me feel comfortable to learn the instrument.” Pt Upadhyaya dedicated himself to the tabala since he was a 17-year-old. He learnt it from Guru Ram Mishra in Benaras. And the same time he catered to many tabala enthusiasts of Nepal individually and institutionally. He served 16 years in the Lalit Kala Campus (1978 to 1995) and served the Nepal Academy from 1969 to 1971. Taking Nepali classical music internationally, he also taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara as a visiting professor for 12 years from 1999. Renowned tabala player Rabindra Lal Shrestha also “learnt the grammar of tabala” from him. “There is no one like him in any other field as a teacher. He wasn’t like a teacher but like a friend,” he expressed about his late teacher. Learning tabala for 12 years and making her living through the instrument, tabala player Sarita Mishra is another generation of tabala player taught by Pt Upadhyaya. Of her guru, she reminisced, “Without any gender discrimination, he taught me to make me a tabala player and he made me a tabala player. I was still learning from him.” Mishra would be proud of her performance as an artiste but “he would provide me with constructive criticism. I feel that I have lost a shelter with his passing.” Also, he was very “helpful and supportive” to the musicians of Nepali classical music and would ask his students like Mishra and Bhandary to help them. When Pt Upadhyaya came to Nepal from Benaras after studying music, he began his performances in Nepal with sitar player Uma Thapa back in 1966. And he, who was musically active till his last days, performed his last concert with Thapa at Kiranteshwor on Guru Purnima. “He was my musical partner. I began to perform with him since I was 16 years old and I have reached this age. I also toured with him in America, Europe, India,” 66-year-old Thapa expressed adding, “At Kiranteshwor, he must have been feeling unwell. He had told me that he was a little uneasy. He was my guardian. He was my brother who I have lost now.” He had accompanied her in many stage performances. From Nepal to India to Europe to the US, he showcased his tabala skills in many parts of the world. He also accompanied many other Nepali and international singers and musicians. Also, he worked with RD Burman’s orchestra in Bollywood during 1970s by playing tabala, maadal and congo. Other than tabala, he held a Bachelor’s degree in English, History, and Sanskrit from Gorakhpur University and a Master’s degree in music from Prayag Sangeet Samiti in Allahabad, India. He has also written two instructional books on tabala — Rhythmic Garland and From Kashi to Kantipur and came out with two albums Prastar and Tarang.