The idea of a guru is all-encompassing

The word guru means different things to different people. The topic reminds me of the famous story whereby once upon a time a man had two visitors. One God, himself, and the other — his guru. Of course he reached out to God to touch his feet first, but was reprimanded. He was told to seek his guru’s blessings first for the guru is the one who shows the way to the divine. The system of training in India, the guru-shishya parampara, is about surrender, unconditional love, devotion and support. It is signified by a ganda-bandhan which is essentially a thread-tying ceremony. This is when you officially become a shishya.

I was very fortunate to have gurus such as Zakir Hussain and Ajmad Ali Khan who taught me showmanship and how to be the best version of myself. The truth is that tabla is a very male dominated field, and I had to work hard to convince my gurus of my dedication, and that I would always rise to the challenge. I first met them when I was 13. They were not my first gurus, as I had started playing the tabla at the young age of seven. I told them that I would give it my all to be the best I could be. I have performed with both of them since the age of 15.

I believe that my first gurus will always be my parents. They taught me to be professional and committed and supported me through my tabla journey wholeheartedly. I am also inspired by various others such as Lata Mangeshkar and MF Hussain, who I also consider a big influence in my life. My husband too, teaches me in his own way. ‘Guru’ is such an all encompassing word. My grandfather used to be in the education field, and I believe the idea of what being a ‘teacher’ entails was passed on to me through him. I have learnt from everybody, and want to keep doing so. I will always remember the time my father was in the hospital before one of my concerts. I was with him an hour before I was due to perform, quite distressed. That is when he told me that I should be dedicated enough not to cancel my show. Just like “Mera Naam Joker” the artist cries within, and the challenge is to rise above this and be professional at all times.

Being a woman in such a male dominated field isn’t easy either. I have to give my 500 percent. But along the way I have learnt that life is all about experiences. The greatest of sages have pondered the meaning of life, and what are we compared to them? We just have to imbibe as much as we can. Opening your mind to music can help you discover things about your own mind, as it finds its places in hidden corners of your soul.

While over time the guru-shishya parampara has changed, I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. It is no longer a complete sense of awe and surrender but rather trying to make music a part of our everyday lives. Today we think about returns and ‘what’s in it for me’ Gurus today too are different from those in the past, but art and culture is so organic, that this was bound to happen. We shouldn’t lament this change — music must go on. I like to think I am progressive in my ways, but also believe that the idea of respect can not change. It goes both ways.  You give and you get. You can’t expect to get first. This is something we should all remember.

The author is a tabla performer and teacher