'Besura hai, sur me lana hai'

Anoushka Shankar winced at the thought of crawling lizards. Listening to Pandit Ravi Shankar recount the difficulties of the gurukul system -- a rigid riyaaz, discipline, sleeping on coir mats, crawling lizards -- got too creepy at times.

Her riyaazin the US under her legendary father's guidance is definitely cosier. The sixteen year old is here to accompany her pa and Ustad Zakir Husain in a landmark concert celebrating India's 50^th year of Independence.

But it is the maestro that people seek -- applause and dazzling camera flashes. The ovation is not unusual. Ravi Shankar has lived with it for over 50 years now. From those small baithaks as a 24 year old to a truly global performer, the sitari has never had a dearth of magical experiences which provides inspiration for many artistes.

"I was in Bombay when India won Independence and remember listening to Nehru's speech over the radio," he recalled looking at the solitary paper flag, stuck into a vase full of button roses on the table. "I even heard the speeches of Mountbatten. Freedom brought such a great sense of relief," he continued.

The 77-year-old maestro also revealed that he wrote the score for Iqbal's Sare jahan se achha in 1955. "Iqbal's original tune was not catchy, it sounded sad. So I thought of giving it a livelier tune," he said, adding wistfully, "But those days there was no copyright."

Often criticised for commercialising Indian classical music, Ravi Shankar explained that classical music was always meant for a select audience, and both in India and abroad the genre has always had few connoisseurs. He was, however, optimistic about the emerging talent in Indian classical music. "Our music takes time to mature, it definitely takes time."

Speaking about his involvement in the famed Woodstock concert, he confessed he was not too happy about it. "With half a million people and mud it was like a picnic, where music only seemed incidental. I felt no contact." After a long and fruitful association with George Harrison which has yielded many albums, the musician will release another album, Chants of India, produced by the former Beatle.

Commencing his foray in film music with Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali, on to Dharti ke Lal, Anuradha and Attenborough's Gandhi, he disclosed he did not compose music any more for the movies. "Earlier, I could be contacted easily and was not travelling so much. Later, it was not possible," he said.

One journalist asked about the greater popularity of classical Indian instrumental music over vocal music. This phenomenon, Ravi Shankar said, could be seen elsewhere as well. "If you listen to an opera singer in Vienna and Salzburg, or the Japanese Kabuki, in all probability you'll feel like running away," he said imitating their foreign singing styles.

En route from London, Ravi Shankar will travel to Spain after his concert in India. The musician plans to release an autobiographical work, Rang Mala, to be printed in a limited edition.

In India to celebrate the golden jubilee of its Independence, Ravi Shankar steered clear of any assessments about the condition of the country today. Whatever he felt, he said, would be expressed through his music at the concert. Finally, he gave in and summed it up the state of India in an appropriate musical metaphor: "Besura hai, sur me lana hai." (Presently, things are out of tune and need to get tuned.)

EXTERNAL LINK: The Artistry of Ravi Shankar