shunning the notion that music is a dying art, Shankar Mahadevan, Ustad Zakir Hussain discuss how teaching methods must be tweaked
Shankar Mahadevan and Ustad Zakir Hussai
Shankar Mahadevan is unusually cheerful at 9 am as he awaits this interaction with San Francisco-based Ustad Zakir Hussain. The veteran has collaborated with the tabla maestro frequently, but he speaks of him as affectionately as he did when urging a friend to facilitate their introduction, 30 years ago. Hussain, on his part, appreciates Mahadevan's laudable journey, fittingly opening this chat with...
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Hussain: You didn't begin your career as a musician. When you did decide to be one, did you have a vision that this [success] would become your reality?
Mahadevan: I belong to a middle-class south Indian family. We believed that we should either study engineering, or medicine. My family never imagined that a career could be made in music. I was a successful engineer. In fact, my passport was with a company [for immigration]. Had things gone in that direction, I would've been next to you [in San Francisco], working with [a prominent tech company] developing software. I told my boss I wanted to change my career. He thought I was crazy. But he didn't know that I would sing, on and off, and that I was busy in the world of advertising too [creating jingles].
Hussain: What prompted that action — telling your boss you wanted a change?
Mahadevan: The feeling kept becoming prominent. I had been with Sangeeta [now, wife] for 10 years. We were going to get married. So, there were a lot of things happening in my life, and then to leave this cushy job that would have paid me thousands of dollars, and a lovely house in the US, to pursue music, was a big decision. Music was an uncertain career. There was competition, and I didn't know if anyone would call me [for work]. I asked Sangeeta and a few friends for their opinions. Sangeeta said: 'I think there will be one million engineers, but there will be only one Shankar Mahadevan [as a musician].'
Mahadevan: What do you think about our album, Is That So?
Hussain: I want to thank you for getting me on board the project, which was initially meant to be your collaboration with John Mclaughlin. This one brings me into a deep meditative [state]. I feel like I am [chanting] a mantra or Vedic scripture of sorts. It's what one feels when sitting in a temple, church, or mosque. You feel like your heart has opened up. The ambience is peaceful.
Do you realise that you and I have known each other for 30 years? I remember, you used to come home and rehearse in the garage. Ammaji, my mother would cook. My heart is filled with joy to see how much you've achieved. You appreciate all the steps that you have taken, and appreciate those who have pulled you up and taken you further. This understanding of success is not easy to achieve.
Hussain: What is changing in the Indian music landscape? Do you think it is something to look forward to?
Mahadevan: I'm going to draw your attention to something that happened to me. We [Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy] did the music of a web show called Bandish Bandits. People between 15 and 25 years of age, the group that listens to K-pop and bubblegum pop, has taken to thumri, bandish, and pure classical music, wholeheartedly. So, I think we need to make [classical] music available to them via mainstream platforms. Nobody is putting out semi-classical music via commercial projects. When people work with conviction in the commercial field, youngsters lap it up.
Hussain: Will I be right if I say that the number of singers in India is on the rise?
Mahadevan: You are right. The way young kids sing blows my mind.
Hussain: This is also the time when we see many tabla players too. In the past, tabla players were trained in a particular style – someone would be appointed for a singing concert; another for a kathak show. But today, each tabla player is efficient [in every aspect]. Also, many are involved in crossovers, where they play with jazz, hip-hop or classical music artistes. I listen to some of them, both boys and girls, and wonder how they develop such speed.
Mahadevan: What must a tabla player do to enhance the art of accompanying [the main performer]?
Hussain: The primary function of a tabla player is to be an accompanist. Playing solo is one aspect of the craft. Twenty years ago, artistes started to train under their gurus to be solo players, and their training to be accompanists was put on the back-burner. That is starting to change again, slowly. My father [Alla Rakha] didn't only teach me the material. He would teach me [the craft] and then tell me to think about how I would utilise it, had I been playing with Ali Akbar Khan, Shiv Kumar Sharma ji, or Birju Maharaj. He would give me patterns, and ask me to develop it and create an entire city with it. He encouraged me to watch him play with Ravi Shankar ji, or Vilayat Khan sa'ab, and notice the difference [in the way he played] and how he switched gears. I learnt the kind of accompaniment that would complement any composition.
Mahadevan: What have you been occupied with during the lockdown?
Hussain: I am working on a percussion album with Mickey Hart of Grateful Dead. Also, banjo player Béla Fleck and I had made an album a while ago, and we need to begin mixing it. I will also start taking my tabla class, online. You were the one who initiated this [online classes] years ago, and we're now catching up. Speaking of which, how are things at your academy?
Mahadevan: I am happy to say that during the lockdown, people have realised that this is an alternate way of learning. Our students have quadrupled. We are teaching in 78 countries, and our social awareness programmes, including those for kids who have autism, the disabled, and even the [less-privileged] kids, [are gaining attention]. We also launched Nirvana, which sees our teachers perform for terminally ill patients.
Hussain: Scientific studies have [proven] that the vibrations of music help those who are terminally ill or handicapped. You'll notice that they become more focussed, their eyes open, and some form of communication happens. I am glad that you are using it to heal.
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