What is your take on the current music scene?
The government must do something to revive classical music with support from
the media. Today,
news channels feature astrology but don't have a show on classical music.
Perhaps, that's
because very few com posers understand its nuances.AR Rahman is the exception.
Flute talkin\'
Hariprasad Chaurasia speaks to Sonil
On Friday, you paid a tribute to the late tabla maestro Chaturlalji. Yes, it
was an elevating
experience sharing the stage with Sitara Devi. Her son, Ranit Barot, along with
the father-son
duo of Ajay and Abhijit Pohankar were a part of the concert too. What is your
take on the
current music scene? The government must do something to revive classical music
with support
from the media. Today, news channels feature astrology but don't have a show on
classical
music. Perhaps, that's because very few com posers understand its nuances.AR
Rahman is the
exception.
We're told that you were trained in wrestling. True? Yes, but destiny had other
plans. (Laughs)
The dands and baithaks still keep me in top shape. What made you opt for the
flute? It's Lord
Krishna's favourite instrument. We are Krishna bhakts and the flute fascinated
me since I was a
boy. What memories do you have of your guruma Annapurna Devi? Guruma was to
hard a nut to
crack. She was married to Ravi Shankerji then and wasn't interested in
mentoring me. In fact, I
wanted to train under her father Ustad Allauddin Khan but my own father would
not permit me to
go to Maihar.
So, I started frequenting Ravi Shankerji's house pleading with guruma to take
me under her
wing. She finally gave in. The condition was that I had to forget everything
that I had learnt
and start from scratch. What drew you to the movies? Hindi movies were a
passion. They gave me
an opportunity to experiment with orchestration. Yash Chopra was ready to
gamble with Shiv
Kumar Sharmaji and me. Starting with Silsila in 1980, we composed for several
Yash Raj films
including Lamhe, Basera, Parampara and Chandni. Despite a classical base,
you've never shied
away from innovation. You can experiment with the flute because the sound is so
soothing.
Surgeons have written to me saying that they listen to my music before an
operation to ease
their tension and enhance concentration. Lately, I have recorded some alaaps as
an aid to
meditaion. Finally, let's talk about Vrindaban, your music school. I wanted to
revive the
gurukul tradition with 10 select students. They would study music, watch fellow
musicians
perform, attend and give lectures and at the same time learn other subjects too.
The objective was to give them an all-round education. Vrindaban is not a
school for one-line
performers. The training is for only those dedicated to music.
Hindustan Times
