One doesn’t need to have a musical background to find recognition anymore. Maestro Anupam Joshi has set an example that all one needs is merit, rigorous training and hard work, says Veejay Sai
The world of classical music can come across as a fairly insular one. The chances of having a successful performing career is doubtful, until and unless you are a famous Pandit or an Ustad’s son or daughter or their prime disciple. There was a time when your musical qualities were assessed by which gharana or school of musical training you belonged to. Today, anyone can tag themselves to any gharana and join the bandwagon. For an outsider, the gharana tag becomes a friendly key into the world of exclusivity. But once in a while you find musicians, who grow with their own merits and become an inspiration for others.
Born in a lower-middle-class Maharashtrian family, Anupam Joshi’s prime focus always remained on studies. “There was no musician in the family but my parents had a good taste,” he says. Because of his father’s government job, the family had to migrate to Jabalpur. However, thanks to the ubiquitous Gandharva Mahavidyalayas, they found a teacher in Daithamkar. Anupam was sent to tabla classes while his sister was sent for vocal training. “Even though I learnt tabla, I was always interested in vocal music,” he recollects. At the age of nine, he heard a traditional sufi qawwali by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan saheb. Something stirred within. His search for a guru began. “I was 13, when I first heard Ustad Ali Akbar Khan saheb playing Sarod on the radio. I instantly fell in love with it and decided I had to learn that. However, still in school, I had no access and support to actually find myself a mentor. After schooling, I began learning under late Pandit Sudhir Phadkeji,” he adds.
Phadke was a disciple of the iconic Vidushi Annapurna Devi of the Maihar lineage. All along Anupam’s search continued. “I then came across Ken Zukerman, a senior disciple of the legendary Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, who was also a faculty at eponymous institute in Switzerland. Lessons sustained under Pandit Sohan Neelkanth, another senior student of Khan saheb, in Ahmedabad. From there on, Anupam continued his further studies.
Gaining knowledge from so many teachers at such a young age, one wonders how did a student of music find his stability in terms of musical thought. “Pandit Phadke wasn’t able to show me the techniques of the Sarod. I have been taught under the strict regime of guru Shishya Parampara. The teaching sessions are mostly one on one. The guru plays a phrase and I repeat them. The sessions could go on for many hours. There is very little scope for discussion at the time of the sessions,” says Anupam. Each teacher comes with his set of rules and regulations. For instance, Rajiv Taranath believes in teaching early morning, before sunrise. “Pandit Taranath’s style is much more orthodox. Lessons began at four in the morning and he needed pin-drop silence and deep concentration while teaching. He would get exceedingly offended if I tried to speak. Lessons with Pandit Sohan were of a great help to understand Taranath’s style of teaching and playing,” shares Anupam about his growing process as a student.
With all this training, he was bound to prove his worth. It was the Guru Purnima, which gave him the opportunity to debut to a group of fellow musicians. “I can still recall playing two compositions in Raag Khamaj followed by Jhala,” he says. But musical inspiration can come in from any corner and here was another such case. “A complimentary audio tape that I received on purchasing a sound system included music by the Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan saheb on one side and Vidushi Kishori Amonkarji on the other. It was like my gospel of music,” he says.
Through his musical temperament and training, Anupam identifies himself with the Senia Maihar gharana founded by Acharya Allauddin Khan saheb. The gharana has produced some of the most illustrious Hindustani classical musicians like Sitar maestros Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar and Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, Sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Bansuri maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. Chaurasia, son of a wrestler, with no music in his family has already been a great example of hard work. Joshi now not only falls into his gharana but also follows his footsteps.
While staying in his classical tradition, Joshi has also ventured into other genres. “I have been very fortunate to play for a documentary produced by Hollywood on Pakistan, Amongst The Believers. I have aldo performed with storytellers. I try to connect my music to the emotion of the story. Till date I have played for stories like Meghdoot by Kalidas and stories by Calcutta Carvan. I have also jammed with contemporary, tap and hip-hop dancers”, he says.
As Joshi continues his journey, he inspires many along the way. “Good things happen but they take time. As first-generation musician, one must have a high degree of patience at all times. There are no shortcuts in music”, he says.
That you need to belong to any musical family is a thing of the past. Today, with good merit and strong training, musicians like Anupam Joshi are good examples for the 21st century-generation of classical musicians.