‘Treat the with respect’ Kamakshi Mallikarjun

he lilting Chandrakauns in the Music Today cassette compilation Tarana – Flights of Melody Twas the first time I heard Veena Sahasrabuddhe. I was mesmerised and longed to attend her concerts. Thereafter, during periodic trips to Chennai, I used to search for her cassettes and CDs and continue to hope that one day I would be able to attend her concert. In 2008 I heard that a local organisation called Sangeet Society was arranging a Veena Sahsrabuddhe concert in New Jersey. At a gathering at my friend’s house for Ganesa Chaturthi, I bemoaned that here was this golden opportunity to listen to Veena but it was too far for me to drive, but not only did I find a ride to the wonderful concert, my friend introduced me to Suraja, one of the organisers. Suraja informed me that Veena Sahasrabuddhe would be staying with her. She was while playing the tabla myself; I also had to showcase arranging a workshop and invited me to attend that as all the embellishments for the bandish while playing the well. tabla. Veena was that rare avatar: a great performing artist who v �������������������������������������������������������Alap has patterns of symmetry like drawing a rangoli – was also an excellent teacher with a passion for igniting if there is a loop here (lower octave), there is a loop there a greater understanding and appreciation of Hindustani (higher octave); a double loop there, double loop here. classical music amongst students. In every facet of this v workshop, she would come back to the guiding principles W�e��������������������������������������������������������� must treat the raga with respect – the raga is in front – ultimate respect and devotion for the great art of of us and we pay respect, we are not in front. We cannot classical music, dedication, integrity and daily, diligent utter things that don’t make sense. practice. Her dictums, explanations, corrections and During the workshop, when Veena tuned the tanpura clarifications were so lucid and struck such a deep chord and strummed it, the reverberating nada brought tears in me that I came back home and wrote it all down. to my eyes. We started with singing notes and akara for Here are some excerpts of what she shared with us: raga – traversing the notes from the lower ma to the higher pa. Our teacher also took the extraordinary v Ascending the stage is like entering fire. If you want and completely unexpected step of having each of us fast results, input-output, it won’t happen. take turns strumming her tanpura, as she would have v ��������������������������������������������All of you are singing because it makes you done for her full time students in India. The entire happy; if you have the slightest desire to perform, I will experience was indeed a magical glimpse of not proceed further till you get the ni re ga ma phrase of gurukulavasam and, for two spellbinding hours, my this raga correct. I want it 100% correct every time. No dreams were no longer daydreams. hovering around the note; if that is where the note is, that She next taught us Pooriya Dhanasree, taking the is where it should be. You need to repeat each phrase at unusual step of responding to repeated pleas from many least 50 times. participants in the workshop to teach something other than v ��������������������������������������I don’t understand why people ask me, �“������Do you Yaman. She did admonish us repeatedly for that sentiment still practise?” Of course, I still practise – for three or saying that more than a lifetime is needed to master four hours every day. A marathon cannot happen of a Yaman. sudden. In your work, if you decide to not do anything The choice of Pooriya Dhanasree was perhaps a for five days or just spend half an hour here and there, masterstroke to get these pivotal points across to every will it work? student in the workshop. In the raga, there is no safety of sa v �������������������������������������������������������In every raga, you need to learn at least ten songs or or pa in the ascent and hence the akara phrases for ni re ga bandishes as a starting base for understanding the raga. ma, re ga ma ni are fiendishly difficult and slippery. And My father used to make me sing every bandish I learnt yes, it did become crystal clear to everyone why there is a

26 l SRUTI August 2016 prescribed progression to the that beginners are taught. Veena Sahasrabuddhe said that since our primary focus was a better understanding of Hindustani classical music and singing for the sake of personal enjoyment and not professional aspirations, she would still teach us the bandish. She then taught us the hauntingly beautiful bandish Tere daras ki and also shared with us the notation written in her own hand. (See below).

Even though I had been an avid listener of Hindustani Veena and Kamakshi classical music for several decades, understanding of the grammar and innate intricacies came only explained in her lectures, Veena sang three pieces in slow, after listening to Veena’s Language of Raga Music medium and fast laya, starting with a mesmerising Chandarki CDs and later the more comprehensive online chandini (it was a full moon night) and ending with a lecdems at IIT Mumbai/ IIT Kanpur. These lectures tarana in Chandrakauns. are structured meticulously, the explanations In an interview for The Hindu – With ragas in her articulate and poetic and the demonstrations sublime. heart, Veena Sahasrabuddhe said – “My father taught They progress from the fundamentals of swara, laya, not just music but every other skill that a singer needs; raga to gamakas, tala, bandish, alap, and . writing, reading notes, the basics of each instrument... In addition to the grammar of Hindustani I try to do the same with my students, even though classical music, Veena illustrates the aspects of they are spread out all over the country and the world.” improvisation and embellishments in the singing of alap and bandish. Veenaji will be an eternal guiding beacon of light in our In a concert the previous evening in Philadelphia, lives. one of the ragas featured was Chandrakauns. As she (The author is a computer scientist and music lover)

27 l SRUTI August 2016