Could have dissected frogs, defended criminals but found destiny in music: Atre

She had no musical background doesnrsquot follow tradition blindly and has graduate degrees in law and the sciences Defying stereotype and definition Hindustani vocalist Dr Prabha Atre carved out a destiny all her own and says quite simply that singing was better than dissecting frogs or defending criminalsThe 89yearold renowned artiste was on Tuesday awarded the Padma Vibhushan the nationrsquos second highest civilian honour Itrsquos the third in the series following the Padma Shri in 1990 and the Padma Bhushan in 2002I am different so my singing is also different I am a law and science graduate and I think differently I keep my eyes open I dont just follow anything in the name of traditionrdquo the irrepressible Atre told PTI in a phone interview from PuneldquoI have done it in my style and sometimes had to fight for that added the classical musician with a difference her story unlike many others who followed their craft and passion from when they were children and swear by traditionAtre is equally candid about her happiness in accepting the award I should be happy with my music whether I get awards or not But this award is the second highest civilian award and it makes me very happy and proud I chose a unique path in my field and the audience appreciated it and continued supporting me An internationally renowned Hindustani classical music vocalist from the Kirana Gharana Swaryogini Atre said she wants to work till her last breath to fulfill her dream to find a wider audience for classical musicI want to sing till the last breath but I also want to keep working in other aspects of music I want to take classical music to the masses to make it popular and to make it easy to learn Until that happens classical music will not survive Recalling her growing up years Atre who has a bachelor of science degree from Ferguson College in Pune and one from the Law College in the university there said music was not a priority and was in fact just a matter of chanceI was studying science and then law and never thought in my wildest dream that I would be a musician My parents were into academics and in fact my mothers illness brought music to our house She used to learn the harmonium and I used to sit beside her She left music but I continued Atre saidI think I was destined to be a musician People started liking my music and I was getting remuneration for it I think temperamentally I was most suited to music she addedIt has been a long and challenging journey Besides being an accomplished performer she has also excelled as a thinker researcher academician reformer author composer and guruAtre also advocates changes in the education system so classical music can widen its reachEveryone has to work for it right from the listeners to musicians and at the government level Our education system has to be changed and there has to be compulsory education for music which is lacking Listeners also have to put in some work to understand classical music she said about her ideas to popularise classical music in IndiaAtre has also been a pioneer in popularising Indian classical music in the west giving her first performance in 1969They like our music very much and they are very good listeners They dont move or talk in the middle of any performance unlike here in India she said Atre has established the Swarmayee Gurukul to teach students all over the world in both the traditions gurushishya parampara and institutionalIt is important to bridge the gap between these two systems In the gurushishya tradition the focus is on the performance aspect only I feel that it should be all round education I should know why I am singing this way rather than copying someone she saidAtre has displayed constant innovation and creative endeavour in treatment design and presentation of the musical material Whether lsquokhyaalrsquo lsquotaranarsquo lsquothumrirsquo lsquodadrarsquo lsquoghazalrsquo or lsquobhajanrsquo her sincerity to her art and sensitivity to the times clearly surface in her thinking and her singingDespite achieving many milestones in her musical journey she is not content and strives for moreAs a lsquosadhakrsquo I am not satisfied because the learning never ends But if you talk as a professional musician the journey has been quite good I have performed this month twice at the age of 89 and have another performance on February 6 It is a big thing at this age said AtreShe said she is impressed with the current talent in Indian music and follows their work tooI like to listen to everything from film music to light music ghazals fusion everything I dont remember names There are many talented artistes Talent is there but they only need seriousness and commitment I am happy to see good work in the field of music she saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom 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