BENGALURU: It is not every day that a concert begins at 7 am. Shubha Mudgal, the well-known khayal and thumri singer, is in town to present early morning ragas on Sunday.
Express spoke to her about the time cycle in Hindustani classical music, new formats of music distribution, and her multiple roles as researcher, writer and singer.
How often do you get to do morning concerts?
People are reclaiming the morning hours. In Nashik, for Diwali, they put up a stage under a banyan tree near the market. That is where singers used to practise in the past. Concerts begin at 5 am, and people listen to music sitting on the streets. Sometimes, at all-night concerts, I get my turn at 2 am. It makes sense to sing early morning ragas then. In Pune, Mumbai and Delhi, morning concerts do take place.
Yet, evening concerts must be the most common. Is the time cycle, followed in strictly Hindustani music, pushing some ragas into obscurity?
I can’t say any raga has become extinct. Diversity exists. Even at the evening concerts, some musicians like to present compound ragas, and not the regular Yaman, Bihag, Malkauns... The Jaipur-Atrauli gharana is particularly fond of complex ragas. Some ragas may not be heard as frequently as others.... It is a pity that raga Shankara is not heard as much as one would like.
Have you decided what you are going to sing?
I am doing an evening concert on Saturday for the Saamagaana festival. I will be talking to Sudhir Nayak (harmonium) and Aneesh Pradhan (tabla) and then we will decide what to present on Sunday.
What are the challenges of non-classical, non-film music, of the kind you have explored in albums such as Ab ke Savan?
We started a label called Underscore Music, and the response from musicians has been heartening. Music lovers have not shown the same enthusiasm. Tech has done a lot. We can form communities of like-minded people and share the music we like. But we haven’t been able to harness tech to make things better for musicians. Sharing something on Whatsapp doesn’t translate into a sale. In every single format, we must ask, ‘Will the fruits come to the musician?’ Today, you may be able to pay Rs 15 and get a piece of classical music as your ringtone. Music is being monetised, but strangely, the content creator is being ignored. Content is being given free. TV, radio, Internet, everywhere, the musician is getting no fee, or a poor fee.
Is this the first time you are performing for Rajguru Smriti?
Yes. I had heard of Parmeshwar Hegdeji and his music, and when one is invited by a fellow-musician, one considers it an honour and a privilege, and agrees to perform. I had heard his guruji, Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru, in Chandigarh. And Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki too. I must have been in my 20s then, and I got to sing, too. It was something like an opening act. I recall Pandit Rajguru’s rendering of a raga called Hamsa Kalyani. It was something like what we now call Hamsadhwani.
Sur Prabhat, open-air concert featuring Shubha Mudgal (vocal), Aneesh Pradhan (tabla) and Sudhir Nayak (harmonium), Sunday, January 31, 7 am, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat, Kumara Krupa Road.