Sarod need not fret

Eloquent and enigmatic, Zarin Sharma bears sharp similarities to the instrument she plays with such finesse — the sarod. Her mastery of the instrument is rooted in a thorough understanding of every string on it and years of dedicated practice. Sharma (nee Daruwala) will perform this evening at Jalsa, along with Aslam Hussain Khan (vocal), at the University Convocation Hall, Fort, to celebrate 150 years of the University of Mumbai. The concert has been organised by Worldspace Satellite Radio and Underscore Records.

Sharma started learning to play music at the age of six. Of a stringent Parsi upbringing, her father was encouraged to play the violin, but not the sarod or sitar. He lived his childhood dream of playing an Indian classical instrument through Zarin. Noticing that, as a baby, Zarin stopped crying every time the radio played, that she pointed to records, distinguishing them by colour, he started her on harmonium lessons on her fourth birthday. And there has been no stopping her since. 

Sharma says that many people have wrong impressions about the instrument. The absence of frets on the instrument has given it a reputation of being demanding. “It is a myth that the sarod is difficult to command just because it does not have frets. The sitar has frets, but its players use a single fret to stress upto five or six notes. So, every instrument is demanding in its own way,” she insists. She adds that if youngsters carry a prejudice about the sarod, it is going to affect the number of people who pursue the instrument.

According to Sharma, “I do not believe that a student should be allowed to perform only if she or he has practised for a number of years. Performing in front of an audience and receiving applause will only egg the student to put in that extra hour of practice,” she says. Awareness of the sarod can be enhanced using the most popular form of media, television, she says.

Aneesh Pradhan, talented tabla player and founder of Underscore Records, says, “In the last decade, we have seen a sharp decline in patronage to Hindustani music, particularly from record labels, public broadcasting and electronic media.  So it is encouraging to have a radio station like Worldspace support two radio channels exclusively for Hindustani and Carnatic music.”

Often, students are drawn to instruments by the sheer virtuosity of the musicians.”When Pandit Ravi Shankar or Ustad Ali Akbar Khan perform, they evoke phenomenal responses from the audience due to the sheer intensity of their performance,” Sharma says. Pradhan says, “The presence of musicians at public events and their media coverage  can at best make readers aware of their public status, but not of their musical status.”

As for the future of the sarod, it seems sanguine enough, with talented young musicians including Bharti Singh, Aaboli Apte and Arnab Chakraborthy. As Sharma concludes, “The future is bright. Wherever I go, people — mostly women — come up to me and say that they are learning the instrument too. Also, people still remember the oldest of songs. Melody will never die.”

Jalsa, Zarin Sharma (sarod) and Aslam Hussain Khan (vocal), Mumbai University Convocation Hall, Fort, April 28, 6pm.