Finding the road between tradition and evolution

[1]

Jaipur-Senia Gharana sitarist Saptarshi Hazra performs at an event.

EVERY SINGLE musical gharana has its own salient style and ethos. The Jaipur Senia Gharana is no different on this score. Falling back on its centuries-old rich tradition, the doyen wizards of classical instruments have always vouched for its rigidity of maintaining a chaste purity of music and playing patterns. The original style has remained unsullied and withstood the test of fusionistic times, even to this e-savvy modern day. Armed with this uncompromising fealty towards quality that smells of an ethnic essence of classical strains, the Jaipur instrumental gharana has too across the ages commanded a salute of awe and reverence on its own merit.
“Conventionally, the term senia comes in close relation with the great historical music maestro Miyan Tansen’s lineage of descendants, wherein his legacy of musical education would be transferred down through generations either from a father to his son or via the route of a guru-shishya (master-disciple) parampara. Incidentally, the period during which a clout of closely associated contemporaries of Tansen from Jaipur got directly or indirectly influenced by his Senia characteristics, was marked with a bigtime flourish in the Pink City’s music fraternity. Most of the musicians from Jaipur’s instrumental gharana happened to be the successors of Senia beenkar Masid Khan, the inventor of the first sitar baj,” shares sitar whiz Saptarshi Hazra. Adding further, he elaborates: “Traditionally otherwise, only a galaxy of veena players and dhrupad singers had previously formed the centrepiece of this gharana. Sitar in fact as a classical stringed device made inroads much later into the gharana’s folds. Slowly but steadily, the instrument had brought in a new gleam of delight and diversity to the gharana’s environs.”
A dedicated protégé of late Pandit Netai Basu, Saptarshi is hell-bent on keeping the mast of his gharana high aflutter. The name of this prestigious precinct has been etched out in gold within the annals of music but sadly enough, only a few good genuine adherents and living legends are left now to carry the beacon of Senia tradition forward with pride and panache.
Resolute in his goal, Saptarshi sincerely fixes his focus to reinstate the gharana to its past pedestal of glory. Grasping the basic ropes from a tender age of six, Saptarshi’s fingers were initially set by his respected mentor Pandit Netai Basu, who in turn was one of the most committed and talented disciples of Ustad Mustak Ali Khan of Jaipur Senia Gharana. “I was plonked under the wings of my guru from early childhood and ever since, his formal tutelage had transported me to a different zone altogether,” he fondly reminisces his salad days in strumming the sitar-licks. “I started learning lessons rigorously and in the last couple of years, took to the professional stage to showcase my performance style and presentation at the public soirees,” he informs.
Having forayed into the classical domain of instrumental music, Saptarshi gained confidence with each passing day and now he candidly confides that music has seeped into his system. “My guru had breathed his last only in 2010. His untimely demise has unarguably left a void in the classical music realm. He was a father figure in my life and I’ve solemnly promised myself to keep his tradition kindled forever through my recitals. You see, whatever little bit I’ve been able to achieve in life today is courtesy him,” he stresses on his oath taken.
Not digressing from his root though, Saptarshi reveals that he has picked up the art of playing sarod from another instrumental virtuoso Pandit Buddhdadeb Dasgupta, who is currently in news for turning down the civilian honour of Padma Shri, for receiving the same at a ripe age of 80.
Expanding his musical craft with utmost diligence and seriousness, this young ace sitarist confirms to take taalim from the sarod exponent to brace his basics on the fathomless treasure-trove of raagas. “He hails from the illustrious gharana of Shahjahanpur in UP. Raagas like darbari kanada, malhar, chhaya, baroa pilu have added a lot of variety to spice up my repertoire. Honestly speaking, music to me is like a deep ocean. You may or may not find the god of nirvana (salvation) within you with one particular genre. So there’s no harm in assimilating an assorted array of different styles to your kitty. It only enriches your musical lore after all,” he opines assertively. “Look, most of the stars from the Senia tradition firmament have been religiously loyal to their nawabi andaaz including the towering stalwart, Mushtaq Ali Khan. They all confined themselves to their conventional cocoon of strict classical norms and never veered away from the original path to embrace exotic experimentations within their music. The Japipur Senia cauldron of music was safely secluded with their brand of renditions that reverberated the true sound and spirit of their complex yet ear-soothing styles. Afterwards, with the emergence of more glamorous maestros into the arena, the erstwhile masters like Nirmal Guha Thakurta and others withdrew themselves from making any public appearances at concerts or stage shows.
They all stuck to their gharana’s signature touch and individual ustad’s prescribed yardsticks, thus avoiding the prying media glare in the process,” he elucidates. With an attempt to try and develop his unique style, thereby combining his pristine and wealthy musical heritage with modern experimentations, Saptarshi assures that his regular in-depth researchwork is on to progress his exploration in classical instrumental music.
“Be it Maihar, Etawah, Jaipur, Lucknow, Allahabad or Chandigarh gharana, I would like to personally believe that each of these esteemed stables is a stepping stone for an avid aspirant to chase success in his/her career. Irrespective of whichever gharna you belong to, every artiste should get enough room for growth, metamorphosis and improvisation. As for me, I admit that I’ve been able to retain those distinguishing traits and features of my parent gharana and imbued the same with other extrinsic styles and moulded the same into my own texture. To me, a change is always welcome if it is only positive and for the betterment. I am well aware that dabbling in classical music is not a piece of cake to walk away with. It is but niche and unlike mainstream music, doesn’t have a large cross-section of audience to woo over. Hence, I would want to continue with my performances at discreet music conferences to promote my gharana and self-charted style,” he explains.
One who plays a 17-fret sitar as opposed to the normal ones which commonly have 19-20 frets, Saptarshi points out that the komal ga (third note on a seven-note scale) and ni (last note) are missing in his playing style of sitar.
“This is a peculiarity of my gharana wherein the sitars are traditionally fashioned to drop in the komal gandhar. Most of the sitars are played in the manner of a Saraswati-veena (another stringed instrument with a heavy sound) and while the hands are honed to roll over the strings to pull and play the alaap, the sound of a veena gets audibly generated. Add to this, the wave-like rolling and gliding meends, which are a special hallmark of this tradition.
Lending equal importance to both his right and left hands to sublimate the tantrakaari which form the foundation of a sitar’s basic features, Saptarshi corroborates that the eminent late Vilayat Khan’s sitar was said to spell out magic with his powerful gayaki style and a strong left-hand strokeplay.
Come January 29, and Saptarshi will be belting out his solo renditions at a concert to be held in Asansol (West Bengal). “There, I’ll be accompanied by Samar Saha, a leading tabla player from the renowned Sangeet Research Academy (SRA),” he chips in.
Recently, he confides having played at a high-profile concert on January 8 at Delhi’s reputed venue of India Habitat Centre, as part of a famous concert series annually organised by the corporate giant, HCL Technologies. Play on man!