Stringing a legacy

India is a land of diverse arts, which make our culture richer and grander. Music festivals and concerts showcase to the world our musical heritage. Gaanasaraswati Mahotsav, 2020, which will be held in Pune from February 7-9, will see eminent artists and stalwarts performing. Well known sitarist and surbahar artist, Pandit Kushal Das who comes from a family that has a rich musical tradition, will also be taking the stage on February 7. Prior to his performance, we chat him up about his journey into music. 

Early lessons 
Apart from his father and paternal uncle, Das’ grandfather was also an instrumental musician. He played the string instrument — esraj. So it was only natural for Das to carry forward his family’s legacy. “I was born listening to the sounds of the sitar. My father was a disciple of Pt Ravi Shankar and my uncle, a disciple of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan sahab. From the age of five, I started playing the sitar and after my Higher Secondary exam, I decided to be a professional musician. At home, there was always an ambience of music. My father and uncle served as inspiration as I saw them practise for five to six hours. This motivated me to take up instrumental music,” he says. 
 
Initially, he took training from his father and uncle, and later, from Sanjoy Bandopadhyay and Ajoy Sinha Roy. Speaking about his training regime, Das says, “After the initial training, I took lessons from Sanjoy Bandopadhyay ji who taught me before he left for Madhya Pradesh. It was he who suggested that I go to Pt Ajoy Sinha Roy to continue my lessons in sitar. Also, I also took vocal music lessons from Pt Manas Chakraborty and Pt Ramkrishna Basu. Learning vocal music is equally important while learning instrumental music.” 

Find your own style  
Talking about the diverse teaching styles of his gurus, he says, “What I learnt at home was different than what I trained under my gurus. Of course, the ragas were the same. The differences were in the playing styles and presentations.” 

Speaking about the importance of knowing the history of one’s gharana, he says, “It is equally beneficial to know about the history of one’s gharana and taalim is very important. At one time, every gharana had a parampara that binded the peculiar style of presenting the music. Nowadays, different mediums and online platforms have made everything easily accessible, but the tradition of a gharana can only be retained if a student undergoes proper training.” 
 
A guru influences a student to a great extent, in terms of performance, approach and presentation. Often it is said that the performance of a student is enough to tell which guru he trained under, his calibre and his understanding of the art. Das, who is from Seni Maihar Gharana, explains, “If you listen to Ustad Vilayat Khan, you will immediately understand his style. Pt Ravi Shankar’s playing style is also distinct. So one must have their identity of playing an instrument which can be obtained by proper blending of taalim with thought process.”

About his style, Das says, “I stopped listening to instrumental recordings for five years and started listening to vocal music only. After which I developed my style. My approach to playing the sitar is meditative with a romantic touch to it.” 

Fusion music 
Fusion music, consisting of classical, folk, instrumental etc, is a popular trend but at the same time one must not forget one’s roots. Offering his take on fusion music, Das says, “The sitar has become a universal and diverse instrument. Even if I have never tried my hands at any kind of fusion music, I like to listen to it. But the one thing I noticed is that in such a music form, there is less composition value in it.” 

Gaanasaraswati Mahotsav, 2020, is being organised at Mahalaxmi Lawns, near Rajaram Bridge, Pune. Pt Kushal Das will be performing on February 7, 5 pm onwards.
 
Donation passes are available on www.bookmyshow.com and www.zoonga.com, and at Navdikar Musicals (Kothrud), Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir, Tilak Smarak Mandir, and City Pride Theatre (Kothrud), from 10 am.