Steadfast devotion

September 15, 2016 02:52 pm | Updated November 01, 2016 06:40 pm IST - Bengaluru

The 13th Mallikarjun Mansur Festival, Dhwani opens on September 18 in Bengaluru. The two-day festival has stalwarts performing alongside promising young musicians. Kaushik Aithal and Vijeta Anati who will be performing speak about their gurus and the training imparted to them

Kaushik Aithal

Kaushik Aithal

You were primarily a student of Carnatic music. When did you shift to Hindustani?

When I was a kid, in Teerthahalli where I grew up, there were no music teachers at all, except one teacher who taught Carnatic. My parents sent me there. Much later, we found Humayun Harlapur, a music teacher from Puttaraj Gawai’s Ashram in Gadag. He was a very good teacher and I learnt from him for 4-5 years. I don’t know if I liked Hindustani more, but all I can say is that in those years I was very fond of listening to ghazals, bhavageethe, abhangs and natyasangeet. Probably because of my mother who sings very well.

After these tentative choices, you went to Pt. Parameshwar Hegde. That I am sure was a conscious choice.

He was known to my uncle Shimoga Subbanna. My family felt that I have to go to him for advanced training. I moved to Bangalore

to learn from him while I also joined a college to do my graduation. It is now 16 years since I have been learning from him.

It must have been a very different kind of talim…

Indeed. Till I started learning from guruji, I was not aware of gharana and its nuances. He gave a lot of importance to every aspect -- alaap, taan, gamak, meend… everything. He was a very strict music teacher, his lessons were rigourous, and he expected a lot in return. I have learnt ragas like Lalit and Yaman for over a year. He would refuse to move on even if it was very distressing for the student. There are days when I cried, but now I realize how important it was. I was someone who grew up in a carefree way, playing in the village. It was guruji who showed me the path. He would teach me for hours, I would stay over in his house, he has taken me for his concerts all over the country – he has done what a father does to his child, nurtured me with care. He used to get very angry with me, shout at me, but it all came from his affection. In all these years, he may have at most told me twice that he is happy with my singing. You need to be blessed to find a good guru.

A guru passes on to his student more than just art. What is it in your case?

The most valuable thing in guruji is his passion for music. His uncompromising attitude towards music. I have always felt that it is this love that has made it possible for him to train so many students. Guruji’s home and hearth has always been open to all of us. It has made a huge impact on me, but I have realized it is very difficult to emulate it.

Making music a career choice in this ambitious world is a daring act, unless you are willing to make compromises.

Very true. It was a foolhardy decision to begin with, but I do not regret it. However, it is a great struggle to keep your music and ethics intact. I owe a lot to my parents who have supported me totally, and my wife who makes no demands whatsoever. I am not a success seeker, but I believe that if your devotion to music is steadfast, success will come, though slowly.

Everyone says it is a good time for music, there is so much talent etc. But why do you think we are not producing legends?

I am too young to answer this, however, as you said it is an ambitious world. There is a lot of talent, but you have to give 15 to 20 years of your life without expecting any returns. You have to sustain your passion.

I feel that this is probably one of the reasons. There are times when I have wondered about my choice, particularly when I see my classmates and friends doing very well for themselves. But I am deeply convinced that the measure of happiness is not always material. Also, there are so many talented young women musicians, but marriage and other social expectations gives them no opportunity to take it further.

***

When and how did you discover your interest in music?

In my childhood my parents used to take me to music concerts. I used to listen to audio cassettes at home. Gradually, I was initiated to learn the tabla. In the later years, I shifted to sarod.

It must have been frustrating, considering how difficult it is to translate a musical idea on to the sarod? What were your initial years like?

It was a tough task. Vocal music has possibilities which cannot completely be reproduced on the sarod. The reverse is also true. But the gharana that I am schooled in, the Maihar gharana, blends ideas that belong to both the sarod and vocal tradition.

In the initial years we concentrate and play pieces that are taught to us. After some years of practice we need to concentrate on the total sculpture which evolves over time.

When did you start learning from Pt. Rajiv Taranath? Can you talk about your talim, and the relationship you share with your guru.

It’s only after the completion of my engineering, that I listened to him. I was fascinated and wanted to learn from him. I became his disciple in 2003. In those years, guruji used to make frequent trips to America. I too was studying for my M.Tech. He used to give some lessons to practice while he was away. Though learning was tough, Guruji was kind enough to inspire and teach me with patience. Later, he used to teach new ragas, ask me to join his practice sessions, and also accompany him in concerts.

You are professionally qualified, but you've taken to music full time. What prompted this decision, are you happy with it?

I pursued teaching computers and music learning for seven years. Then guruji permitted me to perform. There came a when I felt that I cannot continue both because of my passion for music.

My parents supported me and am pursuing music full time.

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