Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia

The 30 inch bamboo flute, also called Bansuri is one of the three original forms of rendering Indian Classical music according to ancient scriptures - Vaani (Vocal), Veena (String) and Venu (Flute). According to Hindu mythology, it is the instrument of Lord Krishna and is popular in Indian folk music.  While the late Pannalal Ghosh gave the bansuri its place in classical music performances, India's best known flute player is undoubtedly Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. In 1992, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan and the Konarak Samman. In 1994, he was bestowed the Yash Bharati Sanman and in 2000, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan. In the year 2000, he also received the Hafiz Ali Khan Award and the Dinanath Mangeshkar Award. He has collaborated with several western musicians, including John McLaughlin and Jan Gabarek, and has also composed music for a number of Indian films. He has performed throughout the world winning acclaim from varied audiences and fellow musicians including Yehudi Menuhin and Jean Pierre Rampal.At Kolkata airport I found myself sitting next to him waiting for our flights to be announced. We got talking about films, music (about the nuances of Raga Yaman, Raga Kalyan and Raga Yaman Kalyan) and much more. Here are a few excerpts:Abhijit: Your father was a famous wrestler who had aspirations of his son following in his footsteps. What made you choose music ?Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia: I took up wrestling to please my father. Music was for me. It is a lifetime of pursuing my passion.Abhijit: On a scale of 1 to 100 how do you rate yourself as a musician?Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia: You have to rate a musician not based on how he or she compares with other musicians. The musician has to ask how much of the ocean (of music) have I been able to drink. You will realize that now musician is greater than the others. We are all barely a step ahead of or behind the other travellers. Abhijit: Have classical musicians been able to leverage technology?Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia: Modern technology has really killed the musician. It has made it easy for people to pirate music. Musicians spend days together creating and perfecting a piece of music. Someone just puts that piece on the net for everyone to listen to it for free. The music companies lose royalties. So other than the very established musicians, they do not want to take chances with emerging artistes.  No wonder people do not wish to pursue music as a career. The musicians spend years perfecting one Raga. They need to be supported by the Guru at that time. They are not earning during this phase. Once they are ready to perform, if they still don't earn, how are they expected to survive? <He points to my cell phone> Take this mobile phone for instance. If you keep it in your pocket it is bad for your health. If you hold it near your ears, it damages your brain.Abhijit: You have composed music for several films under the name Hari eg playing the flute for Heat & Dust ; Sahibaan ('93) and Anurag (1980). Also teamed up with another musical legend Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma to compose musical blockbusters like Silsila ('81); Chandni ('89); Lamhe ('91); Darr ('93) and many more. Which one of these do you look back as your favorite?Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia: If I have two children, would it be fair to ask me which one is my favorite? I love all my compositions. They have all been created with utmost love. But I always have a soft corner for the music that has not done well at the box office. A parent will spend more time with a child who is disabled and is struggling, isn't it?Abhijit: You have tried to keep alive the guru-shishya parampara of teaching Classical music by establishing a Gurukul in Juhu, Mumbai. What next?Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia: Brindavan was set up in 1996 for promoting, presenting and teaching Indian classical music, Indian-Western integrated music, along with meditation techniques, yoga and the theory of music. Our focus is on musically gifted children, especially the underprivileged and needy. Through this I want to do my bit for world peace, love and harmony through music and meditation. Now I am working to replicate this model of Brindavan by setting up another one in Orissa.I leave you with a short clip of Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia playing the alaap of Raga Miyan Ki Malhar. The alaap captures the essence of the raga through its slow build up of the interplay of notes. This Raga captures the mood of the torrential Indian monsoon. The first monsoon quenches the thirst of the fallow land. The trees grow fresh green leaves. The frogs croak and the children step out to float paper boats in the little puddles. To enjoy this clip, just imagine that you are sitting near the window, sipping a cup of steaming chaai and watching the dark clouds in the sky. This raga needs to be heard when the sky opens up and lashes out at the earth while the sudden flashes of lightning dazzle. Over to the Maestro for the rest...---------------------Music produces the dopamine rush in our brain that explains why it is so popular across cultures. Read about how music rewards the brain here