Ratnottama Sengupta
When Sangeet Research Academy was set up in 1978, it offered a new home to legends of
Hindustani music like Nissar Husain Khan, Hirabai Barodekar, Latafat Hussain Khan,
Nivruttibua Sarnaik and Girija Devi. Twenty five years later it is home to today's
legends, such as Ajoy Chakraborty, Ulhas Kashalkar, Rashid Khan, and Girija Devi. This
continuity reflects our classical heritage and Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya will
salute this celebration of heritage by inaugurating the three-day festival on Friday.
Significantly, Ajoy Chakraborty was a scholar when the
earlier gurus taught at SRA. Today, the master boasts a star shishya in daughter Kaushiki.
Ulhas Kashalkar, who joined 10 years ago, claims the largest number of disciples. Girija
Devi, who receives the ITC Award, returns to the fold after years. And Shruti Shadolikar
joins the academy where Rashid Khan was raised by Nissar Hussain of Rampur Saheswan
gharana.
The interim years have seen the academy renowned for its
vocalists, bring instrumental music within its fold. "The appeal of sitar and sarod
have grown tremendously, so we introduced Buddhadev Dasgupta," informs director Amit
Mukherjee. The present concerts build on this with santoor by Bhajan Sopori and flute by
Ronu Majumdar being crowned by sitar by Vilayat Khan, Tabla by Nayan Ghosh and recitals by
Devashis Dey and Manjiri Kelkar are other highlights.
"SRA's most noteworthy contribution is that it turns
out performers," says Kashalkar, a Gwalior-Jaipur voice. "It has no stipulated
course nor confers any degree, but it turns out Kalakars in a way no music school or
university does." And this is possible only because the gurus and disciples share
several years of their life, along with cultural values and devotion to music.
There's just one regret: "Our students come to us only
after graduation. At age 22, their voice has matured, often under another guru, and that
can be a handicap," explains Kashalkar.
"Classical music is not a course you can finish in
months and launch on a lucrative career," Mukherjee points out another hurdle to the
continuity. "Nor is it relevant to the masses. So, even talented exponents go through
periods of insecurity." This is heightened when sponsors, the new patrons of the
arts, seek only young-and-voluminous-audience.
This is precisely where SRA has scripted a success story.
"We'd started with maestros who'd peaked in the concert circuit," says
Mukherjee. "These gurus were happy to trade their traditional homes for an assured
income and an opportunity to teach their art." Today, when Kashalkar and Mashkoor Ali
Khan boast of students like Onkar Dadarkar and Arshad Ali, they know their art will live
in the future.
