Nikhil Banerjee Interview 1985 (link)
So much wisdom it hurts. Excellent advice on what it takes to become good.
I know he had a legendary temper; did he ever actually lose his temper with you and scold or beat you?
Yes, yes, he has done it to everybody. Even, you know, he was a court musician of Maihar, a small state, he used to teach the king old dhrupad compositions, and one day he actually threw the tabla hammer at him, at the king! He was such a man, he knew only music, nothing else! If you make any mistake, naturally as a human being, how could it be possible each time to immediately pick up whatever he says? Sometimes because of lack of concentration or something. But he will not repeat anything twice or thrice! The first time he sang, you had to pick it up! If you said, “Sorry, I have missed that,” he will just immediately kick you! He was an extremely strict man! But besides all these things, can you tell me in the history of Indian classical music any great musician who has created so many good students? No other than Allauddin Khansahib; he’s the only person in the history of Indian classical music to produce great exponents like Ali Akbar Khansahib, Ravi Shankar, Annapurna-devi, Pannalal Ghosh, Timir Baran, all these great musicians and each one is top in their field. He was such a great man. And as he was not a traditional musician, he was completely different than any other traditional gharana musicians. He used to say, “Whatever I have learned, I am ready to give you. If you’ve got the power, just pick it up from me.” But all his students will know it was so difficult. He was so vast-how much you can learn. He was exceptionally great, exceptionally great but with very, very strong and strict discipline. Nowadays it’s hard to imagine! During your training period, you’re not supposed to go to movies, not supposed to read any books, you have hardly energy left for any other activities! Practice starts from four o’clock in the morning and it ends at eleven o’clock at night. There is a little break for breakfast, a little break for lunch, a little for dinner, a little for washing and other things, but we actually played from four o’clock in the morning till eleven o’clock at night. So hardly any energy was left.
How could your fingers manage that?
Oh, oh, no! When I first went there it happened to everybody-your whole hand, your fingers were cut and sewn up! And he used to tell us, “As long as you are alive you have to practice! If you die, I’ll be happy! Better you die, but as long as you’re alive you’ll have to practice, you cannot stop!” But now you can see how much love was there. Why he did all these things, why the strictness was there-because he used to love me! He used to think that, “Now you must do something! As you have taken this subject, you cannot leave this, you must do, you must leave behind some mark!” The training period was very, very rigorous-and I myself think even the world is changing, this country is so advanced, but there is no second way. Really if you want to play music or anything, you’ll have to forget the world at least for four or five years, and just concentrate on music. You play music, you think music, dream music, eat music-just live in music! That’s all! I think there is no other way if you really want to become a great musician. It’s not only Indian music, it’s everywhere, all over the world.
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What direction did your career take after leaving Maihar? What was it like reentering the performance world after years of seclusion?
After Maihar, I knew that I would have to concentrate more and more on the sitar. But you cannot afford to give so much time because once you start performing you become busy. Now I really think that if someone supports me with money someday and my family is provided for, I really want to practice! I really want to practice now! I love music, it is endless, so the more you practice, the more you are in the Deep Ocean-you don’t know where to go; you’re in Space! Of course, I had confidence after learning from Allauddin Khansahib but there was a great point in front of me: Vilayat Khan was there, and Ravi Shankar-ji was there, Ali Akbar Khansahib was there, and all these great stalwarts just in front of me! Until I’ve got some sort of individuality, who will listen to my music? After coming from Maihar, I was a little nervous for some time and I was really searching for a way to cut my own path because these three great instrumentalists hadn’t left a single point through which to take up and dig out your own way. For some time I was really very much disturbed in my mind, “What should I do? Which way should I go? Which will be the correct way?” Of course, the teaching was there and what Allauddin Khansahib has given was there, but still in the practical world when you are actually struggling, that was a time-for many years I was really searching. As a whole performer, how to place your individuality in front of these great instrumentalists? These three great instrumentalists have not neglected a single phrase or portion of Indian classical music; they’ve got their own individuality and are really great.
Posted 3 months ago
