Sarod player strikes a chord with his distinctive style
‘Indian artist Debanjan to perform on May 31
Maihar Senia Gharana, Debanjan touches a chord with his deep understanding of traditional Indian classical music, and his distinctive style which combines both ‘gayaki’ (vocal) and ‘tantrakari’ (instrumental) approaches.
Friday, May 31, Kalanjali Kuwait, a nonprofit cultural organization will present an instrumental music concert featuring a rising star of India, sarod vadak (player) Debanjan Bhattacharjee, who will be accompanied by acclaimed tabla player Subrata Manna at the KMA Hall at 6.30 pm. A popular stringed Indian musical instrument, the sarod has a deep, weighty and introspective sound. As a sarod player, Debanjan Bhattacharjee is known for his abundant imagination and technical virtuosity. A product of innate talent, years of grueling toil and keen musical sensibility, Debanjan is an exceptionally gifted and self-effacing artist.
For thousands of years, the classical music of India has transcended barriers and communicated a universal language of love, devotion and harmony. In the words of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, India’s legendary sarod player, “As one uses flowers in prayer and celebrations similarly Indian musicians arrange musical notes into bouquets or compositions that convey our feelings and emotions.”
As a prominent torch-bearer of the Debanjan grew up in a family of music lovers. Initiated to formal training at a young age, under the tutelage of Ustad Dhyanesh Khan, grandson of Acharya Allaudin Khan, Debanjan’s love for sarod, the sound of which he was famil- iar with from LP records at home, grew.
“I started learning at the age of 5, under the guidance of Late Ustad Dhyanesh Khan. I am his last disciple, although I received ‘taalim’ (training) from him for only a few months. After his untimely death, I was accepted as a disciple by his elder brother Ustad Aashish Khan and sister Shrimati Ameena Perera.” Groomed under the watchful eyes of his Gurus, Debanjan matured into a fine musician. His learning was also enriched through his participation in various workshops conducted by the legendary late Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.
Despite a degree in engineering, the young musician chose to pursue a profession beset by uncertainty. “While pursuing my post graduation, I hear an inner call that I should pursue music as a full-time career.” Faced with a dilemma, when offered a plum job with Infosys, winning the President’s Gold medal and getting selected as an empanelled artiste with ICCR Government of India, ultimately helped decide his destiny. “It was then I realized that it was God’s blessing and my love for music that enabled me to achieve this. It was a huge milestone in my life and to sustain the momentum I had to dedicate a lot of time and practice to my passion.” Fear of uncertainty, when he chose music as a career left him unfazed. “There was uncertainty, no doubt, but I felt uncertainty was better than repentance.”
Humble
How difficult was it for a young instrumentalist to make his place in Hindustani classical music, where bastions are held mostly by famous musical families? “I believe there are both pros and cons,” he observed. “It is true that artistes from reputed music families taste the limelight early while other talented musicians from musically humble background struggle and fight it out, but I take it positively. We probably do not have to face comparison and bear the extra burden of legacy, the way they do. And my parents and gurus taught me that if you are true to yourself and your music, you will taste true success one day.”
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Debanjan is known for his reticence and commitment to maintaining the purity of his music. In a world where everything revolves around marketing, he shies away from it. “I do not shy away from it,” he responded, “but I do not like ‘over’ marketing and ‘over’ publicity. I respect the music audience, and in an age of electronic brilliance, it is easy to share one’s music from home, and let the audience decide. I believe that music has a stronger language than words because it can transcend barriers.” He goes on to talk about his international collaborations and shares his views on fusion music. “I have performed in international music collaborations, but not on fusions. I only take international projects, where I play the sarod in its pure classical format. For fusions, I feel one needs a very thorough knowledge of musical traditions they are trying to fuse.
Debanjan’s international collaboration has led him to work with several greats including the famous French music composer Hughes De Courson, who was behind the theme music of Beijing Olympics and Doha Asian Games who found him through YouTube.
Debanjan Bhattacharjee has just concluded a month-long Europe concert tour of Germany, Denmark, and Austria. He has also performed in several other countries including Sweden, Turkey, Qatar, Singapore and Bangladesh.