A joy Chakrabarty is a diehard optimist, who believes the past was perfect but the future is not flawed either. He does not take refuge in creative escapism, instead willingly confronts challenges of generation and genre.His aesthetic vision is a corrective to the cynicism towards the contemporary.For this front-ranking Hindustani vocalist, art is a social and political tool. It is also a cultural force that rejects straight-jacketed classification. And Ajoy has constantly pushed boundaries to make his music connective and expansive,
With his father as his first guru, his training in music began when he was just three. He later took lessons from Pandit Gnan Prakash Ghosh. But his passion gained a perspective when he became a disciple of Munawar Ali Khan, son of the legendary Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, who belonged to the Patiala-Kasur gharana.
Before the start of his NCPA (National Centre for the Performing Arts) multi-city concert tour titled ‘Aadi Anant - Celebrating guru-sishya parampara’ with a stopover in Chennai on December 8, Ajoy talks about the importance of distinctive style in sangeet, the technique-lyric balance and sharing gyan with gen next.
This concert series must be close to your heart since you have always spoken about being a good guru and guiding aspiring youngsters.
I have enjoyed the dual roles of a performing artiste and a teacher. The guru-sishya parampara is the essence of our oral tradition. It signifies an emotional, intellectual and spiritual bond between the learner and the learned. Of course, with the gurukul system giving way to modern schools, the relationship has become friendly and informal. I have always enjoyed interacting with youngsters as they bring with them fresh perspectives.
You are among a few senior musicians who sees the young crop of artistes as worthy inheritors of the legacy.
They are. I see so much talent. There is no dearth of bright and sincere youngsters. Thanks to them, there’s hardly a dull moment in Shrutinandan, my music school in Kolkata. I set up the school primarily to engender a passion for learning music. Today, it has turned into a hard training ground.
Your daughter Kaushiki, who is accompanying you in this concert series, is regarded as a promising young vocalist. Has she inspired you to turn your focus on youth?
Not just Kaushiki, there are almost 10 others from Shrutinandan who have risen to prominence with their remarkable musicianship. This definitely has spurred me to devote more time to music education. We may not produce 1,000 virtuoso performers, but getting together to make music is a profound experience that could change children’s lives — and that’s what we have set out to do.
How do you approach music education?
I prefer to take in children when they are as young as five or six years old; the right age to sow the seeds of training and discipline. I follow a comprehensive approach to allow students to explore and understand all aspects of music and its interrelationship. I also insist they master the vocabulary to develop a personal style. It saddens me that in our country we do not attach importance to inculcate among children an interest in the arts. Despite our rich cultural legacy, we have relegated arts to extra curricular activities in school. So where is the scope to find real talent? Definitely not in reality shows on TV. Even when the curriculum is revised nobody at the Government level thinks about integrating art with mainstream education.
In this lifestyle- and success-driven world, can art be a viable career option?
Pursuing art lifelong calls for a different mindset. You cannot take it up just for money and glamour. The decision has to be made from the heart and soul. But in the changing scenario, it can be a workable career option — offering sustenance and satisfaction. A young disciple of mine and now a recognised name in the music circuit, recently, bought an apartment ( laughs ). This means there is enough money too. The growth of the entertainment industry and the expanding world of classical music have opened many new avenues.
You have always rejected the North-South divide and classifications on the basis of gharanas in Indian classical music.
When acoustic alchemy is the order of the day such partitions within the country are irrelevant. Hindustani or Carnatic, it is the composition-technique balance which is the key. It reflects an astute musicality and emotional engagement with the art and can easily draw in listeners. You need to bring out the romanticism of the ragas, get to the soul of the swaras and make the scales expressive.
