QUEEN'S ROAD: Prominent flautist Sameer Rao, who will stop by the city this Friday, first picked out his instrument as a 11-year-old.
A disciple of Hariprasad Chaurasia, he talks about his experiences of learning and teaching in the world-renowned artiste’s Gurukul in Mumbai, and the many shades a life in music can acquire.
What made you choose the bansuri?
Thanks to my father, I was exposed to stalwarts like Bhimsen Joshi, Kumar Gandhava, Vilayat Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, Ravi Shankar, Bismillah Khan, M D Ramanathan, Maharajapuram Santhanam, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven and more. One fine day, I found an old flute at home and started playing. After a few days, I could play some popular tunes like the Indian national anthem on the flute. When my father noticed this, he took me to a music school in Mysuru, where I started learning Hindustani classical music from Veerabhadriah Hiremath. In 2002, I was accepted as a student by the world renowned flute wizard, Hariprasad Chaurasia and I continue to be under his tutelage even today.
Tell us more about working with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.
I was a resident student of Guruji’s Vrindaban Gurukul, Mumbai, from 2004 to 2010. This was the golden period of my life. Though Guruji is one of the busiest performers, he always took time out to teach us. Sometimes he came to the class directly from the airport. All he wanted from his students was dedication, hard work and devotion towards the music. We could practise at any time of the day to our heart’s content. Apart from teaching, he would encourage us to attend concerts by different musicians, who had varied styles. He also took us with him to his concerts...This gave me a new dimension as a performer.
While you were teaching, did you find in your students the same passion that you have?
Teaching is a different experience from performing. I really enjoyed sharing what I learnt from my Guruji with the students at the Gurukul. The students are all handpicked by Guruji, and they all dedicated to and passionate about music. I really felt they had a clear idea about what exactly they were up to and the drive to practise for long hours.
With Western music entering India, do you find the interest level in classical music declining?
I don’t think so. I don’t think classical music can fade away that easily. It is a known fact that classical music is an acquired taste, and can not be compared to popular music in terms of mass appeal, but it has its own place, like it has always been.
Not everyone can understand and enjoy classical music but then everyone can’t enjoy the western genres either. May be it is just a phase where it feels like the interest level in Indian classical music is declining. In fact, there are many people from the younger generation who have taken up classical music as their career.
Do you think classical music is thriving in foreign lands?
The doyens of Indian classical music have put a lot of effort into popularising it abroad. So many foreigners come to India to learn. Usually western classical music is all written or pre-decided. The composer decides the notes to be played and also the mood it should carry. But in our music, we have a lot of freedom and it is all about creativity and improvisation and you can give it your own colour and make it beautiful. I think this is what attracts students from abroad.
How is playing solo different performing in fusion concerts or jugalbandis?
When I am performing solo, I decide the raga and tala and can improvise and give it my own colour. But when I am performing with another artiste, we have to find a middle path where we both are comfortable and can come together to create something beautiful.
When you compose music for dance performances and documentaries, how is the process different from composing for stage performances?
Composing music for different projects, be it dance productions, documentaries or stage, it depends on the purpose, the mood and the message you want to convey. It is always challenging and interesting and I really enjoy doing it. In a recording, we have the facility to make any changes on the tracks required. However, in a live performance, it all happens instantly and the result is experienced right in the moment. Therefore the spontaneity of creating something which blends with the performance is an experience in itself.