Pandit Hari Prasad ChaurasiA is the embodiment of superlative music, humility and spirituality, says Suman Doonga
Basuri Samrat Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is hugely appreciated by people all over the world. Panditji was born in Allahabad on July 1, 1938. The Indian government awarded him a Padma Bhushan in 1992 and Padma Vibhushan in 2000, for his life-long contribution to Indian classical music. He is not just a world-famous flute emperor but also a simple and tolerant human being.
He has a child-like sense of humour which lightens the mood everywhere that he goes. He learnt to play the flute under the guidance of Pandit Bholanath Prassnaji of Banaras and later Guru Ma Annapurna Devi, daughter of late Ustad Allaudin Khan of Maihar gharana. He believes that his success is because of his Ma’s blessings and teachings who exposed the entire world of music to him and taught him the techniques to master Alaap and Jod.
Panditji displays the same child-like excitement when he talks about food. A big foodie, he enjoys mutton, hilsa, potato curry, yellow dal and especially relishes a dosa for breakfast. He also has a sweet tooth and is partial to the rabri of Banaras and the gulab jamuns of Punjab. Even during his performances abroad, he prefers Indian food.
Dr Kiran Seth, founder SPIC MACAY, says that Panditji’s contribution to the institution of music in India is “priceless”. SPIC MACAY, an organisation dedicated to Indian culture and heritage, has always appreciated Panditji’s service and selfless dedication to music.
Amongst the many disciples of Panditji is Rupak Kulkarni who believes that he embodies the image of a guru. “Panditji is not just a great musician but is known the world over for his spirituality. His breathtaking renditions on the flute have placed Indian music on the world platform,” he says.
Another one of his disciples, Vivek Sonar, considers it his biggest fortune to have been associated with Panditji for the last 20 years. Rakesh Chaurasia, his nephew, has learnt the flute from Panditji, thus adding another name to the famous legacy. Two sisters, Shushismita and Devopriya, have also had the privilege of learning from Panditji and they see him not just as a guru but as a father figure.
According to Panditji, a guru gives the nectar of futuristic education to all disciples with relentless hard work and passion. He himself follows this and believes that music is a religion, to which he has contributed from his soul. Stalwarts like Zakir Hussain, Ustad latif Ahmad Khan, Prabhu Datt Vajpayee, Shubhankar Banerjee, Vijay Ghate, Ustad Alla Rakha, Anando Chatterjee, Yogesh Shamsi, Anutosh Degharia and Ramkumar Mishra have accompanied him on the tabla.
Panditji has two gurukuls in Mumbai and Bhubaneswar, where he stays with his students and teaches them the flute following the traditional method of guru-shishya parampara.
Along with the famous santoor player, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Panditji was the music director in films like Silsila, Darr, lamhe, Chandni and many more under the name of Shiv-Hari. The famous song Rang barse, which has got the Platinum Disc award, is also a Shiva-Hari composition.
Several small incidents of his life are truly inspiring — Panditji getting wet in the rains for two-three hours while travelling on his cycle just to learn the flute, his struggles with money and him having lost his mother early in his childhood. All these have combined together to make him a strong and humble person.
What a lot of people don’t know about Panditji is that he was interested in wrestling although he never wanted to join it formally. But the sport helped him in his profession as it built endurance and lung power, — both of which are needed by a good musician.