Ojas Adhiya is a child prodigy. Starting his journey from the days he started crawling, Ojas has made significant contributions in the field of Indian Classical Music. He seems to be born with the art and mesmerises the audience with his thunderous performances complemented by a sense of strong human emotions embedded in his art. In his words, “I was blessed and was fortunate enough for that. I owe this success to my father and the almighty.” He is the youngest tabla player of the world, as cited in the Limca Book of Records. Recently, he came to the city to perform at a concert at Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS) where he interacted with ‘The Hitavada’ over various facets of life and music. Excerpts from the conversation:-

 

Q. You are a child prodigy. Can you elaborate on your early days and how your father spotted that spark in you? 

A. First of all, I want to say that whatever I am today is because of my father. We belong from a small town of Akot in Maharashtra. My father was a doctor and used to regularly visit the satsangas of our spiritual guru along with his family. My parents told me that once during the chanting sessions, I crawled upon my knees and bagged the Tabla. Everyone there presumed what a six month old toddler can do with the instrument. Time passed and once when I was two years old, my parents were surprised when I started playing Taal Keherwa (a beat cycle consisting of 8 beats). Astonished by this incident, he then decided to hunt for a teacher to impart this art to me. I gave my first performance at the age of four where I was deemed as the youngest Tabla player by Limca book of records. 

 

Q. After your days in Akot, you also learnt the intricacies of the art form from revered musicians Kalyanji-Anandji. What were your experiences with them?

A. After Akot, interestingly, Kalyanji-Anandji came to know about me and asked their student, Sanjay Omkar to enquire about me who advised us to meet Kalyanji in Bombay. In 1993, he listened to me. Impressed with my performance, he then told my father that my future is in Bombay. I was four then and shifting to Bombay was a big decision and to fulfill my dreams, we came to the city. At that time, Kalyanji started the Little Wonders programme where I participated. He then introduced me to Mridangaraj ji and I was fortunate that he accepted me as his disciple and I became his ‘gandabandh shishya’. I started touring the country and abroad for programmes. Unfortunately, my father passed away in 1997 at 37 when I was 9. All the responsibilities came on my mother but she made sure that all our needs were fulfilled. Kalyanji too left his mortal body in 2000. My guru then introduced me to senior artists and there the real struggle began where I accompanied senior artists like Pandit Satish Vyas and Begum Parveen Sultana. At the age of 14, I started playing the instrument in different genres.

 

Q. Recently, you came up with a single, Tabla Symphony. How did this thought emerge in your mind to amalgamate the instrument with that considering the fact that Indian Classical Music is monophonic in nature. What was the story behind making of composition? 

A. I was inspired by Ustad Zakir Hussain as I had listened to a live Tabla with symphony and the idea came from there. I then contacted music composer and my dear friend Alap Desai. This was 2017. The single was released in 2022 on Gudhi Padwa. Alap Desai then conceptualised and composed the whole single and then it was decided that the strings orchestra will be recorded in Chennai. Interestingly, the whole symphony part of the song was recorded in a single day. It was challenging as there were 12 violins, 2 double base and several other instruments. After recording the melody part, we left for Bombay and recorded the Tabla part along with the part of other instruments. The mixing, video editing took time and finally the time of its release came and that’s how it reached the ears of the audience. 

 

Q. There have been various innovations in the instrument. These are of two types- e tabla and the leather-free tabla. How do you look up to them? Can they pose a replacement to the current composition of the percussion? 

A. I have not played these types of the instrument but have not played them either. I think that this is a good concept. From the perspective of creativity, it is commendable but from the view of tradition and musicality, the current one seems more authentic. The tonal quality of the instrument which is made from leather is quite different. While my instrument is in making, I prefer to sit with the instrument maker ensuring that the instrument suits my preferences related to tone and comfort. To the best of my knowledge, I can say that there are tonal differences, though I can’t say much related to the feel and other technical aspects of them and will be suitable to comment on that when I have actually played that instrument.

 

Q. You talked about tradition. Nowadays, tabla solo performers are preferring certain talas while performing as compared to the older ones. What, according to you, are the reasons for that?

A. The mood of the listeners has changed. Personally, I prefer playing Teentaal (16 beat cycle) while playing on stage. Today, several factors are available for entertainment and if an artist will not keep that in mind then this will pose a hindrance in connecting with the audience. Other than the 16 beat cycle, I may prefer the talas which can be easily decoded by the audience. The motto of the artist should be to reach to the audience through his/her music. If a toddler arrives at my concert, it is my duty to reach out to him through music and hence will have to play accordingly. Similar is the case with an 80 year old man. I have also played some lesser known beat cycles at sessions where the spectators knew the nuances of the art form and expected me to play accordingly.

 

Q. How do you incorporate different gharanas in your art?

A. I learnt all the styles of music. My guru also emphasised on listening to everyone as every Pandit and Ustad performing there is great and has their own individuality. Fortunately, I was never freed from the shackles of the boundaries of the schools of music and with the time, I tried to assimilate the salient features of every school into my instrument. Originally, I was trained in Farrukhabad school of music. The time of the performance is reducing and in that case, in my opinion, an artist should focus on giving the best to his/her audience irrespective of these differences. 

 

Q. What is that one point of advice that you received from your gurus and want the upcoming child prodigies to know? 

A. Be in the moment. I feel that this should be the mantra for an artist so that he/she can give his/her best in music. An artist should always remember this in mind. An individual should focus on learning the intricacies in great detail. The artist is always incomplete if he/she has not taken proper training and hence I genuinely believe that the budding artists should learn under the tutelage of a guru or master.