When the renowned sitarist Arvind Parikh turned 75, his guru, the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan sent him a CD. It was not a selection of vintage music as one would expect it to be; it was a voice letter of sorts. “In these 75 years, you and I have spent nearly six decades together,” the maestro says, his voice loaded with fond memories. Our bonding, adds the guru, must go down in history as one of the greatest guru-shishya relationships, and the world should cherish it.
That rainy morning in Mumbai, when the 87-year-old Arvind Parikh paid respects to his guru, the auditorium resonated with the voice and music of Ustad Vilayat Khan saab . There was a silent tug in every heart that listened to the Ustad speak to his shishya-friend-secretary and a lifetime confidante, in the most affectionate terms. An embodiment of this great tradition of sitar and an extraordinary musician’s dear student, Arvind Parikh continues to take this legacy forward – with the highest commitment a shishya has for his guru. In fact, in Arvind Parikh’s case, the reverse is also true. The next two days, on the occasion of Guru Poornima, he sits glued to his seat for nearly ten hours each day, listening to every student carefully, and meticulously making notes. The atmosphere is rich with several layers of relationships and music being the common bond between all of these.
The strikingly produced memoir by Arvind Parikh, “The Raga of My Life”, captures a musical journey, as the title itself suggests. But the ‘raga’ in this case is also his guru, Vilayat Khan saab , the melodic peak of his life. In a manner of encapsulating the great years and how those values passed on to him continue to form a living presence in him, Arvind Parikh writes: “How do I look back on this journey? My singular feeling – in the later years of my life – is that of great satisfaction, especially from teaching. Today, I have 47 students from all over India as well as overseas. I have loved teaching – perhaps more than other facets of my musical life. Today, when I see my student community, the wonderful camaraderie that has developed between them, and between them and me, and the fact that my students are from different walks of life, it is a matter of tremendous satisfaction for me.”
Right from the word go, Arvind Parikh speaks about the various gurus of his life – his grandfather, mother, the radio… till he reached his final destination, Ustad Vilayat Khan saab . The book is a lovely account of the various facets of their relationship and through its narration the reader can see how Ustad Vilayat Khan saab became the centre of Arvind Parikh’s universe. With a rare simplicity and an intensity that is articulated in subdued tones, Arvind Parikh records events and episodes from his life. “Life was not easy, with studying and trying to become a sitarist, at the same time. In the first six months, Khan saheb was somewhat erratic. ….I used to pick up Khan saheb after my college at 3.30 p.m. every day, as I had a car at my disposal. Many times when I got there, Rais Khan would say: ‘Maama is not at home, he will come home at 5 p.m.’… I must add that Khan saheb was very young at that time – 20 years old. Maybe, he thought, I was just one of those rich kids pursuing music as a fad. … I was 17 years old, and my lagan (passion) for learning was so great and so acute that I could find no fault with his commitment to my taleem .”
Arvind Parikh is a keen observer of his guru’s ways – he notices his strengths, weaknesses, is amused by his idiosyncrasies, but with an amazing sense of equanimity adds all this to his outstanding musical personality. “He had another great quality,” he writes. “He was very serious about his recitals and used to plan them thoroughly.” In the very next paragraph, Arvind Parikh talks of a “funny memory” – “before a concert, Khan saheb used to tie a handkerchief on his head. He explained he was setting his hair.”
The book comes alive with such anecdotes not just rendering Vilayat Khan saab human, but also bringing to fore Arvind Parikh’s persona that has the ability to look at human nature with kindness and a fine sense of balance. You see it in his relationship with his students as well.
There is a deep sense of purpose that operates in this extraordinary guru, Arvind Parikh. “All I ask from you is total commitment to music,” he tells his students on that day, with a motherly concern.
No musician sits alone on a pedestal – there is a whole tradition, the gurus, and entire community that is in the background. A man of few words, Arvind Parikh makes this amply clear to the community of students whom he nurtures with immense care and affection.
(To buy copies of The Raga of My Life by Arvind Parikh, and The Glorious Tradition of Etawah-Imdaadkhani Gharana by Arvind Parikh write to arvind.parikh@lemuir.com)
