‘Classical music is give and take concept’

By Naman Atolia :

It evolves with retaining the core, says Rakesh Chaurasia

Rakesh Chaurasia, a child prodigy and the nephew of flute wizard Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, shows all the promise to carry the Chaurasia legacy to new heights. He’s won two Grammy awards. In his words, “the award was not for me but for my country”. He says further, there were long jamming sessions and what came out was great. The album was awarded in the same year of release and was a matter of pride, surprise and happiness for him. Toured worldwide carrying the legacy of Indian Classical Music, he has the ability of improvising the art along with retaining the core concept of Hindustani Music. Recently, he came to the city to perform at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), on the sidelines of which he interacted with ‘The Hitavada’ about several aspects of music. Excerpts from the conversation:-

Q. You come from a great musical lineage and started playing the instrument early. It is often said that as an artist gets older, the experience that an individual gathers from the colours of life gets accumulated into his/her instrument, as compared to the state when the performer is a child. How do you look at this?

A. To be frank, nowadays it doesn’t matter whether you start early or not as the students are now much advanced, smart and understand things better. Also, what supports this is the internet. During our days, this was a real problem when our gurus were out for a performance and we had to undergo the struggle pertaining to the fact that from whom we could learn in the absence of our guru or teacher. This whole scenario has now changed. Also, when we were children, there was no fear. We could play any raga as per our mood. But now, things are different. As an artist gets mature, he/she understands the nuances of music, the required emotions for the melody and the efforts it takes. A mature artist underscores the value of time consumed in the process of creation and presentation and that is where the actual difference is.

Q. You have performed with the doyens with the music along with the new ones. What are the differences that you encounter while accompanying the two groups? Secondly, as you talked about the internet, a senior artist stated that the knowledge available on the internet lacks patience and the budding artists lack musical rigour. Considering this opinion, what is your take on this issue?

A. There are two things. One, whether the aspiring individual understands music and second that he/she is into practice. Here practice refers to a dedicated preparation. The budding ones should understand the emotions of the art and should be able to connect with the same. There should be a mindset related to the fact that this is not just a practice for making a living and has broader aspects. If they can inculcate the spiritual realms of the music, especially the ragas, all the differences transcend. All games here are of the mindset. One should be able to establish that connection and feel with the art and that is what all it takes.

Q. A senior musician once emphasised that senior musicians should come out of the generational complex. According to him/her, several senior exponents of the music don’t perform with the younger ones. Whereas, some perform with their generational offspring but often prevent themselves from playing with the others. Do you believe the same?

A. Even their offspring is a budding artist. Then what is the problem with the new ones? This is all about the thought process of the individuals. Today, many of the artists including me prefer to perform with the younger generation as they have their own ideas and I even want to grab them. But, playing with a senior is also a great learning experience in itself. For instance, performing with Zakir bhai (Ustad Zakir Hussain) is a great opportunity for me where I can learn new intricacies of the art form. This is a pure give and take concept. A senior takes new and fresh ideas from the younger one and gives them in return the age old wisdom and vice versa.

Q4 In a globalised world, how do you maintain the purity of the India Classical Music? Given the fact that you also try to learn from the next generation who are equally exposed to the western world of music.

A. Let’s dive deeper here. The presentation of the art form is a variable concept and can be moulded in line with the needs and aspirations of the audience. But the soul remains constant. If, on stage, one encounters several groups of audiences then there can be a situation where a certain person doesn’t like the way you perform and wants to listen to that older way. Here, I am not denying the traditions but you can’t please everyone. A restaurant is bound to close if it hinders itself from doing innovation in the cuisine it offers. To talk about the older artists, how the flute of Hari ji (Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia) is different from that of Pandit Pannalal Ghosh. Both belonged to the same gharanas (musical lineage). Such is the thought process which fosters innovation and creativity and is an intrinsic part of our music. And, this can happen in stage performances where while performing you have to go for some on the spot brainstorming to include some creativity to make your piece more engaging.

Q. Do you find that the music companies ‘harass’ musicians as alleged by many?

A. Not exactly. It’s quite a bit of a time taking thing. Here, you have to work according to the situation. Though, I have made many songs but have played for the musical pieces on various occasions, it can be certainly said there is a system of working there where you have to create music, as per the demands of the scene.

Q. There are several ragas which are not popular today. Can they be also revived and presented in a newer form?

A. In both our music systems, whether Hindustani (North Indian) or Carnatic (South Indian), particularly in North Indian music, time is a very important factor. There are some ragas which can be played in the morning whereas some are evening ragas. For instance, Bilaskhani Todi is a morning raga and hence should be played accordingly. Secondly, we have to also understand the temperament of the raga, pertaining to the fact that whether it suits on sitar, flute or any instrument, as every instrument has its own limitations. The artist has to check whether it will be nicely presented and depicted on the vocals or the instruments. So, there are several aspects related to that. I do prefer playing ragas which are less popular among the audience. This makes them aware of the art and effective measures are being taken in this regard. An artist has no problem in playing a raga for hours but we should also refer to the point that the capacity of the audiences to sit for long hours have reduced significantly. So, we have to prepare accordingly. Any raga has a great impact and when played in the prescribed time, things go beyond this realm giving a spiritual connection to the artist and audience.

Q. As you mentioned, every instrument has its own limitations, what is the case with Bansuri (Flute)?

A. Most of the techniques of the music including meend and gamak are effectively used in the instrument but there

are some technical octave related details which are prevalent in the instrument (for some ragas).