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