Unleashing the Sitar Maestro
Yehudi Menuhin, the legendary violinist, once compared him to Mozart. “Pt Ravi Shankar has brought me a precious gift and through him, I have added a new dimension to my experience of music,” he had said. Equally fascinated by him and his sitar were the likes of George Harrison of The Beatles who later produced and participated in two record albums, Shankar Family & Friends and Festival of India, which were composed by the maestro years ago. Amid such musical accolades, the iconic sitar became a global instrument, thanks to this master of strings who made everyone sit back and enjoy the sound of his music all through these years.
However, what sounds astonishing to me is when he reveals that he started his career not as a sitarist but a dancer. Sensing my amazement, he says, “I was only 13 when I joined my brother Uday Shankar’s dance group and started dancing in his troupe. It was during one of my tours that I met the renowned sitarist, Ustad Allauddin Khan and when I heard the sound of the strings, they fascinated me no ends. It was then I gave up dancing to study sitar, playing under court musician Allauddin Khan sa’ab. I must have been 18 then.”
Even though the grand old man of Indian classical music will turn 90 next year, his dedication for music hasn’t gone down by an iota. I notice this as I get to interact with this legendary musician at his Chanakyapuri residence where he, along with his daughter, Anoushka, is to announce a jugalbandi performance (the two perform today at Nehru Park) as part of Spic Macay’s yearly Music in the Park series. He continues, “After finishing my training under Khan sa’ab in 1944, I moved to Mumbai, joined the Indian People’s Theatre Association and composed music for ballets in 1945-1946. The very next year, I recomposed music for Sare Jahan Se Achcha and began to record music for HMV India and worked as a music director for All India Radio (AIR) New Delhi between 1949 and 1956.”
Beginning mid-1950s, says Panditji, born as Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, in a wealthy and conservative Brahmin family of Bengalis, he composed the music for the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray which became internationally acclaimed. Even today, Panditji is as energetic and alert as ever though it is difficult hearing him as his voice is slightly inaudible. But his daughter helps him interpret my questions.
So what keeps him going at this age? I ask Panditji. “Unadulterated music,” he says in a mellow tone and then after a pause, takes off again, “I believe the reason I was successful was or am is because I played Indian music without spoiling its character. I don’t see sitar just as a wooden instrument. Rather it is like a live person in front of me that speaks to me when I hit its strings. My music is very spontaneous as I have learnt to adjust according the mood of the audience and that’s the reason I’ve enjoyed all my performances. Each rendition of mine is special to me,” the maestro, dressed in a mustard kurta and white churidaar pyjamas, adds smilingly.
When I ask the sitar maestro on his take on the current classical music scene in India, he is very forthcoming in his views. “Nobody has the time to listen to a seven hour concert. Now, many Indian classical musicians follow my style of presenting a raga, in a shorter and easier-to-register format,” he says, mentioning that his stint with AIR during the earlier stages of his career helped him improvise and experiment with the sitar rendition format. “I came across many foreigners who told me that they like Indian music and that they find it exciting and ethnic. But they always had one complaint that it was too long. After many such criticisms, I made sure to give audience the right dose of classical music that they could hear and consume too. Hence, I started playing according to the circumstances, people’s moods and their taste,” says he.
“Classical Indian music is evolving constantly. Of late, during my performances I have seen that the youngsters are becoming more receptive towards Indian classical music. As far as learning is concerned, I think talent is very important as passion is one thing and talent another and if anybody is really interested, then he/ she should find a guru and become a pupil there and then. With the advent of a number of good musicians and the young breed taking interest in music, I hope Indian classical music is not going to die. Only the change required in presentation should be finetuned,” he says, resting one hand on his daughter’s shoulder.
Panditji also recalled how he altered his style of performance during his early days that he says has now became a benchmark.
“When I had started performing, there was no proper style of presentation. People used to spread a carpet and perform. However, I felt that presentation was most important so I began performing with proper lighting and microphone. I made it shorter to ensure that people heard the entire concert and not run away because it was too long. But for years, I was criticised of not playing pure Indian music. I felt bad then,” he says subtly.
After an illustrious career spanning over five decades that includes collaborations with The Beatles and an unequalled celebrity status for an Indian classical musician, Panditji reminisces about what’s meant most to him all these years. “I never jammed with The Beatles but presented Indian music on my own terms. It was so because I believe that matching the mindset is not all that easy,” he says firmly. So is he against fusion music? “I don’t call it fusion. At different times, it has been called by different names like world music, new music and I have experimented with symphony and sitar and have also played Alice in Wonderland which was good but I have not done jamming. I haven’t collaborated with anyone other than Anoushka and I don’t see myself doing it as well in future. But I’m always open to doing new things and walking newer avenues,” comes his reply.
His presence in film music, he says, was too little. “I composed for Gandhi, Anuradha and Apu Trilogy. I never had time for films otherwise.”
I now shift my attention towards Anoushka, who has been constantly hitting right notes at home and abroad. I ask about her relationship with Panditji and Anoushka is prompt with her reply, “I’ve been lucky to have seen the softer side of my father who is also my guru. Our relationship didn’t get formal even when he taught me. I believe the credit goes to him. He always ensured that if I was learning sitar I, give the art the respect and dedication it deserved.”
Does she aim to be like her father? “I adore and love my father but I don’t want to become a mere clone of him. I want to make a path of my own,” says Anoushka, who has been trained in Western classical music. “My father started off by playing instruments like flute and sarod. I have also learnt to play the piano and other instruments which I believe help in broadening my horizons. It’s just like knowing different languages,” she adds.
I realise Anoushka, like her father, has a penchant and candid feelings towards her vocation. Experts in the past have labelled your music as too feminine and youthful, what do you have to say on this? I next ask him. “Everybody plays from their heart so the feelings evolved are different. It’s not a conscious effort. For me, music is who you are. Tone can be the same but the meaning can be different,” says Anoushka, who besides the current performance, is uniting with her dad again for an untitled album.
It’s time to bid goodbye to this highly talented musical duo who is equally sweet as their music. I shake hands with Panditji and Anoushka, wish them the best for the concert and make a move.
