Shree P D Shah

Shri P.D.Shah (Punshibhai Dharamsi Shah) was born on 20th January 1911 in Nani Khavadi, a small village near Jamnagar, in Gujarat state of India in a Kutchhi family. His mother Tejbai had a good voice and used to sing folk songs. She died when Shahji was 7 years old. His father was a farmer and he also died when Shahji was 13 years old leaving 2 sons and 3 daughters. The father sent him to Bombay in a boarding school at the age of 12. Thus Shahji was all by himself studying in school and went to Elphinston College for science study. He was very bright student and he won the gold medal in English language. Due to lack of funds, he discontinued his study after Inter Science.

He had great love for music so always sang Jain Stavans (bhajans) doing pujas, he learned bugle, remained ahead of the crowds fighting for freedom. Not knowing to which direction to go in life, he sat out in the train and got off at Ahmedabad station. There he met good people of high class who were impressed by his good command over English. He liked to participate in scouts and sports activities and created the group making the musical band. Since then he was known as the Band Master and played the band in the processions of weddings and the freedom fighters. He was then married to Jayaben (Jetbai), in the year 1936 and had 3 daughters and one son.

During his early years, he learned variety of instruments like violin, sitar, flute, dilruba as well as vocal music and met his Guru Ustad Mohammad Khan Desar Faridi from whom he learned Rudra Veena. (Rudra Veena, also known as Been is the most sacred, ancient and rare Indian instrument that is said to be invented by Lord Shiva and played by the risjis of Himalayas. This instrument is constructed of two very large gourds- each attached near the end of five-foot length of bamboo on which are fixed frets set in wax. There are seven main strings, four main playing strings and three drone strings. )
Shahji went into teaching music vocal and instrumental at his home and was raising the children in a small income. In mid-forties he got into a small scale business which helped to earn sufficient money to run the family. By this time he also visited Saanand to play Rudra Veena at His Highness Jaswant Sinhji (Thakore Saheb’s) court regularly. Thakore Saheb was also playing Rudra Veena and thus there was nights spent in music. He also went often to Jamnagar where Her Highness Gulaab Kunvar Baa invited him to play Rudra Veena at her Royal court.

Shahji left Ahmedabad in early 1956 to settle down in Bombay where he was doing business mainly and stopped teaching music. Forming an institution called Veena Mandir, he organized few music concerts where Ustad Abdul Haleem Jaffer Khan (sitar), Ms. Zarin Daruwala (sarod), Rita Devi (dance) Pandit Nikhil Ghosh (tabla), his daughters (Vijaya and Damini) and few other artists performed Indian classical music.

Shahji developed fibrosis and cancer of his vocal cords in 1962 losing his voice. He went to London for the treatment in 1965 after which he was cured of cancer but did not get his voice back due to fibrosis. In spite of his ill health, he always continued to play Rudra Veena and paid much attention to the children that they learn music and graduate in vocal classical music. He also taught sitar whenever he had time and cared for the education of all of them. He sent his son Gautam to USA for higher study in Chemical engineering. His daughters got good education besides music accomplishments. Panna along with M.Sc. (Biochemistry) got Visharad degree in Tabla and performed solo at various places.

Shahji developed interest in Astrology around 1960 and spent some time in achieving extraordinary knowledge and was respected for the accuracy of his predictions to many people. He had deep interest in Hindu Philosophy spending some time in study of Vedanta and the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda.
He came to USA in 1970 and taught as a professor of astrology, music and Eastern Philosophy at Callison College, University of Pacific-Stockton and California Institute of Asian Studies (CIAS). He was also a lecturer in Jainism at CIAS. He never performed commercially on Rudra Veena but continued to use according to the ancient tradition of playing at various institutions and music departments of various colleges. The American people showed overwhelming interest in Rudra Veena and other philosophical discussions of shahji’s.

In spite of his poor health condition and without voice, he always remained active and absorbed in music until he passed away in Bombay on July 11, 1975 when his lungs were affected with cancer. Although he never publicised his achievements, those who came in contact with him remember him with great love and respect.

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