Biography: Hari Vinayak Datye
17 Jul 2020 18:32:53
Early life :
Hari Vinayak Date, a bachelor, widely known as “bapurao” during his life time, was born to a parantal pair Vinayakrao and mother Sau. Durgabai ( alias Maai ), on 8 August 1918. He was the eldest of the eight children. He was gifted with artistic excellence in several arts since childhood. He excelled in artistic sketches and painting. His painting of the life-size sketch of late Golwalkar Guruji had won him several laurels. He studied in Modern Highschool, Pune.
His association with RSS dated as early as since 1934-35 . His induction in RSS was intiated by stalwarts like Dada Parmarth, Devkule brothers in Pune. He later went to Madras as a pracharak (a full time worker) at the instance of Dada Parmarth where he remained for a period of a year and a half. Soon after he reurned from Madras to Pune, he decided to start small sundry business and devote his time in RSS activities especially as Office in-charge.
In the field of martial music :
He quietly commenced his career in martial music. He used to compose marching tunes for different ceremonial occasions. He had a natural inclination towards music particularly musical instruments of any sort. He would play any instrument with expert ease and with fine tune. He studied army-staff notations as well as typical RSS based notations. He was now a learned master in it. He later became the chief of the City ghosh.
He agitated in vain for 'vandemataram' to be proclaimed as the national anthem..He could not succeed in persuading Pt.Nehru to agree to his point of view. This period also witnessed the period of ban on RSS. Several thousand RSS volunteers preferred imprisonment.
After the ban was withdrawn in 1949 , the plight of these volunteers of RSS had been precarious and pitiable since the life of these several thousand families were devasted .These were thrown in the streets. However , the mirky situation was gradually recovering. RSS was gradually recovering and growing..Busy as he was, Bapurao Datye was leading a hectic life serving various daily morning and evening shakhas (meeting place of the RSS and remembering the martyrs and patriots) which were conducted on open grounds each for one hour.He always emphasised the plans of action which aimed at self-sufficiency. He believed in this approach. The prudance he showed paid handsome dividends later.He drove four wheelers and often sat at the wheels whenever emergency arose in the RSS office.
Bapurao Datye was a very good planner and manager of physical education training programmes (Shaaririk Shikshan Vibhag). He himself was a strict disciplinarian and expected all other participants too be strict disciplinarian.Every event and every RSS programme is a disciplinned event, he declared. His meticulas planning of (now very famous) "Talajai Shibir" (a camp) had won many laurels for its design and execution. The route march which marched/strode through the streets of Pune became an internationally known landmark of its kind. Besides he successfully led several route marches with perfect planning and melodious "ghosh rachanas".
His contribution to the Indian music:
Martial music and marching tunes in India esp. in the Indian army , was under the cultural domination of the Western music in general and the British tunes in particular . Patriotic Bapurao Datye was one of the earliest reformers who succesfully removed the Western influence from the then marching tunes. He composed quite new tunes based on Indian classical “raagdaari” . He favoured raag Bhup , raag Hindol, raag Yaman, raag patdeep, raag malkams and several others. This was his great contribution to the RSS marching musical treats.
It was his expertise that he went on to formulate a novel notation script . He developed a notation script system for the RSS of its own.Of course it was different from the Army-staff-notation system.
His contribution to the Indian Army Band:
He composed a few martial tunes for the Indian navy which were appreciated and adopted by them. These were adopted by the Naval Band and these they played on the Republic day in their national parade. This was a big event . Bapurao Datye’s reputation flew high.
He composed 40 tunes (rachanaa) based on 27 Indian raag's. Some of these were scripted in Army’s staff notations which were recognised by the International musical community .
He composed a novel tune "shivraj" for the 'Ashiad' games which was presented by the Indian Naval Band in the 1982 sports meet.
Bapurao Datye as an author.
He had a fine flair in writing on varioua subjects including notations. He authored three books viz., "Gayani Kalaa", "Swaranjali", "Tejachi aarati" (on Golwalkar Guruji’s life and work) and "Surya-namaskaar"- upaasana and vyaayam (on physical excercises) for better health . These three areas which he penned were very close and dear to him.Besides, he had 10 publications to his credit including a write-up on "suryanamaskar"—an ancient Indian exercise done for good health. His another book "Swaranjali" underlined the melody of the ancient Indian music and introduced these to the international community. His book on "suryanaskaar" was tranlated into the 'Dutch' language. "Gayani Kala" was selected as a reference book for the M.A. (Music) course.
Awards he won :
State government awarded him a best prize for his critical appreciation of aestheics in the book "Gayani Kala". He was feclitated by the Pune Municipal Corporation.
He breathed his last on 29th April 1998 in Pune.