Hailed as one of the key sitar soloists of India, Pt. Shubhendra Rao’s slow but steady ascent to recognition has been a remarkable process to observe. A disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar, Shubhendra’s music is emblematic of seasoned virtuosity and a strong inclination for the melodic. He has steadfastly emerged as one of the torchbearers of the Ravi Shankar legacy and is equally feted for his collaborative work with musicians from other parts of the world. Excerpts from an interview:
You are perceived as a purist. Do you find that flattering? I am not sure whether I like any title, for that matter. If someone feels I am a purist, I do not wish to disregard that. At the end of the day, I am passionate about the music I play and believe in it strongly. ‘Pure’ and ‘impure’ are words we conjure up in our minds to classify people. In my opinion, what is ‘experimental’ today becomes ‘traditional’ tomorrow. I love to expand my horizons and work with musicians from other genres. However, I don’t believe in adding a keyboard and a drum set just to make it feel different and call it ‘fusion.’
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My guru is indeed the most well-known Indian musician. In the initial stages of my career, it opened some doors for me when people learnt that I was his disciple but I had to prove my worth at every juncture. Talking about disadvantages, you enter the professional world prejudged. If you don’t meet people’s expectations, then you suffer more. Over the years, I have also had to bear the brunt of some people who worked against me only because I was Ravi Shankar’s disciple since they could not do so to him directly.
How do you react when someone says Shubhendra’s Jogeshwari or Behag is a true copy of his guru’s?
Initially, I would beam with pleasure. But now, I feel I have been able to develop my style that’s my own and build my own identity as a sitar artist, in particular, and as a musician in general. Of course, my guru’s influence and a reflection of his style will always be there in my music. But to remain a ‘true copy’ is not desirable. My music is/should be an expression of who I am, what my values and inner feelings are. It is not imperative to break away from your gharana to create an identity. In fact, if one is deep-rooted enough in his/her gharana, this is an automatic development. In that sense, I have created my own identity and today, people come to listen to Shubhendra Rao belonging to the Maihar Senia Gharana and who is a disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar.
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Musicians often take great pride in playing for themselves even on concert platforms. Do you play for your audience? Is it important for classical musicians to entertain the audience?
Of course, I do play for myself even on stage. It’s only when I enjoy myself completely will I be able to transmit that joy to my audience. But I am aware that I am performing for an audience and that there are different kinds of people listening to my music. I should be able to please the rasika as well as someone who is listening to classical music for the first time. In that sense, it is important for all artists to ensure that our audience grows. About the last part of your question, the word ‘entertain’ can have different connotations. I think that classical music has the power to ‘entertain’ all the senses of a human being and not just certain senses as many other forms of music do. Classical music is a ‘complete package’ that can awaken all the nine senses of life -- Navarasa.
Your wife, Saskia Rao-de Haas is a cello player and disciple of Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia. You both play jugalbandi concerts together. Is the sitar an adaptable instrument?
Saskia is an amazing musician who has ‘Indianised’ the cello with her ‘Indian cello.’ We perform a lot together. It’s wonderful that we not only share our personal lives but are also able to take this love on to the stage and perform together. The sitar is a versatile instrument and like all other instruments, is quite adaptable. Having been closely associated with my guru’s compositions and having helped him from the early 1980s onwards, it did help me to get a deeper insight into what it all entails. It surely opened up my whole thinking process. Saskia's instrument and her playing style are revolutionary to our music, and perhaps, this is why the two instruments sound so good together. Sometimes people say that they can hear an orchestra when just these two instruments are played - the bass of the bowed cello and the highs of the plucked sitar complement each other perfectly.
At the Shubhendra and Saskia Rao Foundation, you work to make music available to underprivileged children. Elaborate…
The Shubhendra and Saskia Rao Foundation is our effort to make classical music available to every child because we believe it is their birthright. Every child born on this planet responds to music before anything else. Only some lucky ones are able to retain this while many lose it because of various reasons. I strongly believe that the first 10 years in the life of a child are the most important phase and music must be made part of a child’s growth through these formative years. Both Saskia and I were blessed to have music in our lives right from our childhood and we, as parents, see how important a role it has played in the development of our son, Ishaan. So, we decided to set up this foundation to ensure that every child gets music education. In India, there is no proper methodology for teaching music to children. Everything is too serious and rigid. If we need to attract children to classical music, we should adopt a more fun approach to engage them. This is what Saskia, with her western music education, is doing -- adapting the western methodology but teaching them Indian concepts. For those who want to pursue it seriously, there is the own guru-sishya parampara. Recently, we concluded a six-month intensive music programme for some underprivileged children in the Nizamuddin slums. We are working with about 80 children in another project and a few other projects are about to start in the next couple of months. We cannot expect miracles overnight but we want to not just make a difference but be the difference in the lives of as many children as possible.