'Improvisation does not mean tampering with the authenticity of a classical 'raaga'…'

Pandit Ravi Shankar, in conversation with Satish Vyas.

Pandit Ravi Shankar began his career on the stage almost eight decades ago. The reigning sitar maestro is the best known cultural ambassador of India in the western world. As a performer, composer, teacher and writer he has played an invaluable role in bringing Indian musicians to the global stage, influencing legendary bands like the Beatles, and collaborating with international performers to forge new pioneering idioms. He studied under the illustrious guru Baba Allaudin Khan. After making a name for himself in India, Pandit Ravi Shankar went on to write two concertos for sitar and orchestra as well as violin-sitar compositions for Yehudi Menuhin and himself, music for flute virtuoso Jean Pierre Rampal, music for Hosan Yamamoto, and much more. Ravi Shankar is an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a member of the United Nations International Rostrum of composers. His national and international awards include the Bharat Ratna by the Government of India, Desikottam, Magsaysay Award from Manila, France’s highest Legion d’ Honneur, the United Kingdom’s highest knighthood KBE, 16 honarary doctorates and 3 Grammys.

What was the music scene like before Independence and how do you compare it to the presentation of Indian culture in contemporary times?
If I go back in time, about 67 years when I was 20, and think about the dream and vision I had for Indian classical music as a young aspiring musician, I have to admit that though I have achieved more than I ever dreamed of personally, I am disturbed to see its plight in India today.

Our country is so rich, with a living tradition, unlike anywhere in the world. Thanks to the rich cultural heritage of our country, the whole world looks up to India to enrich itself, and yet we try to ape the West. We call it globalisation but it really is Americanisation. One should absorb the good points of any culture but to lose our own is a shame. As in anything, we need a good balance. In the West you may have pop music, which attracts thousands of people, but they also have great auditoriums, which are sold out for ballet, western classical programmes or opera.

Could you describe the classical music environment in the pre-Independence era and soon after?
There are many reminiscences of my long musical journey. Let's talk about Bombay and Calcutta in the 1940's and 50's, which had music conferences every year and lots of programmes going on all the time. The important things then were the music circles. There were quite a few within the city and some as far as Andheri and Vile Parle. They also existed in Poona, Hubli, Dharwar and a few other places in Maharashtra. These were very intimate, having anything from 150 to 400 people listening, most of them squatting on the floor. There were just a few chairs scattered about at the back for those who could not sit on the floor, and the artists performed on a low dais. I still believe baithak-style settings like these can be most satisfying for Indian classical artistes.
In the pre-Independence era, The British did nothing to encourage our art forms, but thankfully, they did not interfere either. There were still a few native states where maharajas, zamindars and aristocrats supported some of the great musicians. Occasional music festivals in Kolkata, Allahabad, Lucknow, Karachi & Lahore (now in Pakistan) and Mumbai were also held. I started my own career in Mumbai and will never forget some of my memorable concerts, which would often last five to seven hours, which was then a normal duration for a concert.
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How has the cultural scene changed during the last six decades? Which was the golden period for Indian classical music?
Music has evolved like always. The 1950s and 60s were the golden period, as far as I am concerned, for classical music. We had the best of the great senior musicians, middle-aged and the younger ones. The whole attitude of the music world was different. The senior musicians may not have been very rich but they were adored and revered.

There are two points I want to make and emphasise – one, that classical music was never appreciated (in the West as well) by the masses. It was always cherished, developed and patronised by a ‘class’ of people in the same way as Shakespeare and Kalidas were appreciated in literature, and hence the term 'classical' and not 'massical' or 'pop', which unfortunately many people expect it to be.

Secondly, our music has always gone through changes, becoming more and more developed and sophisticated through centuries. Today, we feel the onslaught of disturbing elements because the changes are too rapid for us to adjust to them. In those days, the medium of communication was limited to live concerts. Then came the gramophone, the radio and later, television. Now, with the age of computers and instant access, it is overwhelming. I am not saying this is good or bad but it is a fact.

Over the decades, you have worked closely with many great international musicians. Tell us about your musical journey in the Western world.
When dear Yehudi Menuhin came to India in 1952, I performed for him. It was the first time he had heard any Indian music. He was completely blown away with our music and was an ardent follower until his dying day. Even though I had met him when I was about 10 and he 14 in Paris, this was the first time that we really connected. He went back and invited me to perform in 1955 in New York. Unfortunately, due to domestic pressure, I couldn't go, but sent Ali Akbar. I started performing abroad with small audiences and then slowly went on to perform at major halls by the end of the 1950s. This I did by playing, teaching and explaining. I had the advantage of the language, unlike many musicians at that time, and since I had almost grown up on stage from the age of 10 in my brother's troupe in the West, it was easy for me to communicate and be understood.

How do you compare today’s atmosphere vis-a vis six decades ago? What is missing in today’s music?
Except for a few of us senior musicians, I feel not many people go to listen to young, talented musicians in India. I also would like to mention the Delhi culture where people don’t buy tickets to go to a concert---probably the only place in the world. Also a great country like India, with some of the greatest art forms, does not have one state-of-the-art auditorium of international standards. I am also appalled to see that there are no music reviews any more except perhaps in The Hindu. All that people are interested in is gossip and who went to which party wearing what. The other thing that shocks me is the inaccuracy in reporting.

What do you think needs to be done to improve the situation in today’s times?
It is very important that our government introduces classical music, dance and other art forms on a compulsory basis right from the kindergarten level. We need a conservatory of music and music colleges. I wish all the millionaires and billionaires in India would contribute something to the art of their country. I am not condemning any type of music but when the whole world comes to see and visit India, it is the incredible tradition of this wonderful country that attracts them.

Students need to be dedicated and positive about their talent and also have the patience while learning the art from the Guru under the Guru-Shishya parampara system. Today everything is so advanced that you can have lessons on a computer and I feel appalled when I hear students learning from a tape. How can anyone even compare the foundation and solidity of knowledge learned for years directly from a Guru, to today’s computer culture?

Though your own dedication to music has been firmly based on traditional practices, you have also experimented with modern techniques. Your comments…?
I have always encouraged the creativity of an artist. But one has to have solid knowledge and know the rules to break them. Improvisation does not mean tampering with the authenticity of a classical raag. I was probably way beyond my time when I first started to experiment with Western instruments and Western musicians.

Contrary to popular belief, I never performed with the Beatles. George Harrison came to me as he was so taken in by our music and became my student. It was not a fad for him; he loved it until the end and became very very dear to me. John Coltrane was so impressed by my music that he had a few lessons from me. He was so moved that he named his son after me.
My performance with Yehudi Menuhin, composing two concertos, experimenting with Jazz, Far Eastern Music, Philip Glass, ballet, orchestration film music, music theatre, and so much more from 1945 onwards, I guess were all much before time! If you listen to my CD Tana Mana, I have worked with electronic music 25 years ago. But I did all this without compromising on the solid foundation of our classical music. When you are doing something new, go ahead but don’t talk about your gharana and lineage, which has nothing to do with it.

Everyone knows that you played a pioneering role in popularising Indian classical music in the West after Independence. What are you working on currently?
God has been very kind to me and given me so much! I have been performing from the age of ten and at eighty-seven I am still very busy. I was very very sick recently with double pneumonia and was in intensive care for 25 days. For a few months I was in a wheelchair with oxygen and recouped slowly. But by some miracle and the love and care of my very dear and near ones, I performed seven concerts and am looking forward to the Fall tour. I just composed a piece of music for the brilliant violist Joshua Bell and Anoushka [Shankar], which premiered at the Verbier festival in Switzerland. I am also writing another piece for Philip Glass and Anoushka to play, and another concerto for an orchestra in New York. I am keeping busy. Through my Centre in Delhi, I am getting a youth choir ready. Some of those children recently went to Austria and performed beautifully with the help of a few of my senior disciples.

Courtesy – Ace Publications & Promotions Pvt. Ltd.(Interview appeared in their weekly magazine “Every Tuesday” in August, 2007)