Recently, I had a session of Spiritual Confessions with Mangesh Jagtap who is a disciple of Santoor Maestro Lt. Pandit Ulhas Bapat and Pt. Surendra Sharma. He is a versatile musician and has hands-on experience in playing several musical instruments such as Santoor, Guitar, Piano, Harmonimum, and Harpejji.
He has a unique style of bringing santoor by combining cinematic style and various other variations such as folk and classical. A few notable names that Mangesh Jagtap has shared his musical performances with include, Udit Narayan, Papon, Kumar Sanu, Usha Mangeshkar,Osman Mir, Aamir Mir, Sonu Kakkar, Pratibha Singh Baghel, Khsitij Tarey, Kavita Seth Ji, Ajay-Atul, Amit Trivedi, Vishal-Shekhar, Himesh Reshammiya, Bhawdeep Jaipurwale, and more…
Prominent works of Mangesh Jagtap:
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Peformance at IIFA, Abu Dhabi
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Santoor Vadan program at BSF in presence of honorable Shri P. Chidambaram (Union Minister of India), Indore
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Special guest performance at India-Bangladesh and India-Pakistan delegation, New Delhi
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Performed at the Opening Ceremony of TEDx Performer, NMACC (Neeta Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre Mumbai)
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A few other important and notable performances include Heeramandi, Qala, Panchayat, Indian Idol, Super Star Singer, SaReGaMaPa, Merchant Records Bhoomi, and more…
Honored by:
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The Trinity College of London
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All India Radio
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Md Rafi Award
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Kala Gaurav Samman
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Kala Shree Award
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Mirchi Young Talent Award
Spiritual Confessions with MANGESH JAGTAP:
Shruti Sharma: Are you superstitious?
Mangesh Jagtap: I believe in miracles. I have experienced incidents wherein I know miracles or call it magic happens with you in life if you believe in it. So call it superstitious or a believer, but I do believe in magic and things happen when you believe.
Shruti Sharma: Do you give credit of your career to luck or god?
Mangesh Jagtap: I do not deny hard work, but we definitely need god’s blessings upon us and luck also plays an important role in everyone’s growth and success. I also give credit to my parents as we know God cannot be around all the time and so he made parents. I also give credit to my Gurus and well-wishers for my achievements.
Other than the above honorable people in my life, I also wish to give credit to my beloved wife Shraddha Jagtap who is a singer and I have learnt many things from her too.
Shruti Sharma: Are you religious, spiritual or both?
Mangesh Jagtap: I am definitely spiritual. As a musician, I meet people of different religion in the industry and the reason of good music is good team work. It doesn’t matter what religion one belongs to.
Shruti Sharma: Do you believe in soul connection?
Mangesh Jagtap: More than soul connection, I believe in feel connection. I am sure every musician would say this; we need to feel at first to make or create music and only then it touches the soul.
Shruti Sharma: Do you believe in Karma? Do you fear it?
Mangesh Jagtap: Yes! I do believe in Karma and my gurus have always taught me to keep it clean. Let me share a small incident of my childhood; I stood first in interschool competition for keyboard. However, next year I stood second and I felt bad for it. It was the judges that made me realize that new talent must be appreciated. That was the moment I realized, “Music competition ka subject hi nahin hai; it is a self-product.”
Shruti Sharma: Have you ever felt God’s presence around you?
Mangesh Jagtap: Absolutely! The moment I am on the stage, it feels some energy is just passing through me. Sometimes, I play something and suddenly the audience feels and says, “Arre yehi piece kehne waale the bajaane keliye hum! Something makes you play so well that it is highly appreciated and loved by the audience.
Shruti Sharma: How do you meditate or connect with your spiritual self?
Mangesh Jagtap: Music is meditation for me; when I am not performing outside, I practice, rehearse, and prepare. I believe, an artist must never think of break, downfall, or failure; it is your riyaaz period and you must dedicate your time to it.
Shruti Sharma: Is spiritual growth important for artists?
Mangesh Jagtap:
“Music/Sangeet Anant Hai. Aapki spirituality ya aapka adhyatma aapke music mein reflect hota hai”.
I remember my guruji once told me, “ek insaan/vyakti ke jeebh se teen generations bolti hain.” My brother’s one slap was enough for my musical and spiritual growth. “Mere bhai ke thappad ne mujhe badal diya”. Let me share how it started… We were kids in the age group of 15 or 16; my brother used to practice keyboard. Once he wasn’t home and I notoriously started playing the instrument. Unfortunately, the heavy adapter fell and broke down.
When my brother realized I was the reason behind it, he slapped me. My mother encouraged me and said I can play it too if I dedicate my time into it. My ego was hurt and I joined Paali uncle who stayed opposite to our building. He was my music teacher for some years. From there on, my music journey began alongside my spiritual growth with music.
Shruti Sharma: What is enlightenment?
Mangesh Jagtap: Music is enlightenment! Firstly, it is the gift of god. Secondly, if god has chosen you to be a musician, it is important to cherish and maintain this gift. Thirdly, enlightenment comes with your dedication and practice.
Shruti Sharma: Is there a blessing or a message you wish to pass to your followers?
Mangesh Jagtap: It is my request to all the young talented musicians to pick and practice at least one Indian instrument. Choose a classical instrument and take it forward. For my fans and followers, I would like to say; “Acha sunein, achi cheezon ko promote karein, and acha content aage share karein. Isse hamari dharovar bani rahegi.”
From the writer’s desk:
Mangesh, meeting you for an interview is a spiritual feeling in itself. It is my first interview for the segment ‘Spiritual Confession’. What a start! Who else could I think of than you? I have known you for quite some time as my brother, as a student to my father, and as a human being; I have felt your sincerity, dedication, and modesty right from the first meet. Your respect towards music and your Gurus would never ever let you down in life. I pass my best wishes to you.
Love and Light
