An eventful musical journey

Though a classical musician, RONU MAZUMDAR is not averse to playing for whoever uses his flute in the right manner. After all, he tells K.KANNAN, music should give a rainbow-like feeling always...

When Rahul Dev Burman was composing music for the song ``Yaad aa rahi hai'' in the hit film ``Love Story'', he decided to give a break to Ronu Mazumdar, an upcoming flautist at that time and an AIR artiste. A few years later, in ``Jaag Utha Insaan'' -- where Mithun Chakravarty played the role of a flautist -- Ronu and Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia played together.

More recently, Ronu played his chosen instrument in ``Paani, paani re'' sung by Lata Mangeshkar for Gulzar's ``Machchis'' and also ``Godmother''.``Though I am a classical player, I do not mind playing for whoever uses my flute in the right manner,'' he says.

Ronu's musical journey has now reached an important cross-road, what with his new album -- ``In Search of Life'' -- composed by renowned Swiss pianist, Christian Sheiferd, bringing him mass acclaim. ``This is the first time that a foreign musician has composed an album dedicated to the Indian bansuri,'' Ronu says.

Here in the Capital in connection with a concert at the BJP National Headquarters this past week where he performed alongwith Malkit Singh and Shankar Sawhney, Ronu says : ``In Search of Life is the most ambitious album of my career''.

Born in Benares and brought up in Mumbai, Ronu was trained as a classical singer in the Maihar gharana to which Pandit Ravi Shankar also belongs. As a child prodigy, he was already playing the flute on AIR when R. D. Burman who was always on the look-out for fresh talent decided to use him. ``I was just 18 when he offered me a break in `Love Story' and I am ever grateful for that,'' Ronu says.

While films like ``Love Story'' and ``Macchis'' might have brought him to the limelight, Ronu says he loves composing music for healing and therapeutic purposes.``I have composed music for pregnant women which was released by Music Today under the title Caring Hope,'' he informs.

Another project which Ronu liked immensely was ``Song of Nature'' in which Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Dr. N. Rajam, Dagar brothers and Ashwini Deshpande were all brought together in one single album. His album on mysticism titled ``Wood Wind'' brings back pakhawaj in its original, pure form. ``I also composed Kavita Krishnamurthy's first non-filmi album, `Koi Akela Kahen','' he informs adding that he is slated to perform at in Delhi Tourism's Qutab Festival on November 11.

While Ronu says he will continue to do good music whether it was classical or commercial, he is aware of the fact that the times have changed. ``I face a very different kind of audience today and the challenges are also different. But I believe that music should give a rainbow kind of feeling and should also be soothing and therapeutic,'' he says.

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