Classical exponent Meeta Pandit loves to explore other genres of music. She tells Trisha Mukherjee about her recent Indo-Dutch venture with an Amsterdam-based tabla player, wherein she has blended Braj lyrics with saxophone
Graceful and charming, her elegant sincerity reflects in the way she talks about music. A conversation with her is enough to draw you closer to her art. Sublime as she calls it, Meeta Pandit is as fine as her gayaki. Sixth in line of the famed Gwalior gharana, she is the first female musician in her lineage.
“Classical music gives me a high, and makes me feel I can reach out and within myself,” says Meeta, while talking about her new project. Masters of Hindustani Classical Music is a compilation of India’s musical legacy through a documented recording of masters belonging to the classical era. Among those included are Pandit lakshman Krishnarao Pandit, Pandit Rajshekhar Mansur and Pandit Arvind Parikh.
Meeta, granddaughter of Pandit Krishna Shankar Rao Pandit and daughter of lK Pandit, says that her father and grandfather have been her teachers and while recording she still feels “scared” of getting scolded by her father.
She says, “In situations where your parents are your mentors, the degree of discipline required increases manifold. Without discipline it is very difficult to groom an artiste.”
Sharing one of her childhood experiences she says, “As a kid, I had performed in one of the festivals in Gwalior with both my brothers. We were extremely scared because our grandfather’s eyes were constantly on us. We were nervous as everybody in the audience wanted to know if we will be able to live up to the family’s traditions as musicians. I am glad that we have been able to do justice to their expectations.”
Meeta’s mother, who is a housewife, has supported her throughout. “Often she would accompany me on the tabla during riyaz, and she has rarely missed my performances,” she says.
She sources her inspiration from her royal family, which is a trove of classical masters. “Gwalior is known as the land of music and my lineage is opulent with grand masters. Their guru-bhakti and saadhna has inspired me ever since I was a little girl,” she says.
With her recent Indo-Dutch venture, The luminance Project, with Amsterdam-based tabla player, Heiko Dijker, she has blended the Braj lyrics excellently with saxophone and western flute. She has also performed in several concerts outside India and has tried her hands on jazz and other genres. “Music of different genres has always interested me. I have held three collaborative jazz concerts titled The Gift in which we had a fusion of Indian classical and French music. It was both refreshing and challenging,” she informs.
Although the musician does not dismiss the prospects of singing for Bollywood films in the future, but she says that her heart lies in Indian classical music. “Classical music is my passion. I believe India is my karma-bhoomi and it is my way of giving back to the society,” she says.
As one of the youngest artistes in the genre, Meeta finds connecting to the youth through classical music most challenging and feels that only media can bring about a change in this approach. She says, “The awareness of classical music is on rise but there is still a long way to go and no one can do the job better than the media. Media can promote classical music among the youth.”