‘Gold is gold in any era’
ANJANA RAJAN
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Sanjeev Abhyankar talks about music then and now.
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We should accept reality shows and see the good side.
Photo: R.Shivaji Rao
Of calibre Vocalist Sanjeev Abhyankar got the National Award for singing in the film ‘Godmother’.
He started his career as a Khayal singer at 13. Today, millions of 13-year-old Indians aspire to being catapulted to pop star fame through the reality show route. Sanjeev Abhyankar, disciple of Pandit Jasraj, does not hanker for the old days, though, nor does he feel hurt that classical music does not get the mainstream attention pop and other genres do. His motto is to accept what he can’t change, and find the best in the present. Fond of using analogies, he says just as a batsman will bowl a few overs on the captain’s bidding, he too is willing to sing for films if an interesting project comes his way, but he will not go out of his way to hunt for offers. His medium is khayal, and he is happy that way. In a chat he says he welcomes experimentation and change, as long as it is undertaken with honesty and focus. Excerpts from the interview:
On dwindling audiences for classical music
My experience is that interest is not declining, but overall the entertainment avenues have increased, and as music is also a form of entertainment, it has to compete with them. It’s like having different forms of cuisine available. The hunger for food is the same, but the options are multiple. People can get Wimbledon and football in their living rooms, shop for music from any country, or download songs for free from the Internet. So people coming into the halls may be less, it’s not because there is less interest: They have more to do. Besides, they have to watch saas-bahu on TV!
On singing for films and ad jingles
I got the National Award for singing in Godmother.
My approach is, I am open to offers, but I am not hankering after them. It’s like a batsman. He might bowl when the captain asks him to, but he won’t ask to bowl. He is mainly a batsman.
Similarly, my medium is classical, and that is what I mainly do. When I sang for the Kinley ad, I got lots of offers, but then I became very careful. I wouldn’t want to be known, say, as the voice of an underwear brand!
On how technology has changed voice culture
The pitch has come down. Earlier the basic pitch was higher, since there were no mikes and the singer’s voice had to carry far.
Now with sensitive mikes, we sing at a lower pitch, because singing at that high level would not sound good with such amplification. Gold is gold in every era. If you make changes with honesty, it is good for the art.
Reality show trend and the fallout
Over some things we have no control. We should accept them and see the good side. In the olden days girls wearing jeans were frowned upon.
Now it is commonplace. So reality shows are inevitable.
The good thing is, trained musicians appear on them, so people get to know you need to be trained. Yes, they look for shortcuts. But what can we do? Our generation’s turn is over now.
These shows do increase the attraction for superficial success. The patience to work hard, hang in there — that declines.
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