A rendezvous with Mrs. Veena Sahasrabuddhe

Veena comes from a family of musicians. Her father, late Pundit Shankar Shripad Bodas, was a disciple of Pundit Vishnu Digambar Palsukar. Young Veena started her musical education with Kathak dance. She was initiated into Khyal singing by her father and her brother, late Pundit Kashinath Shankar Bodas. Padmashri Balwantrai Bhatt, late Pundit Vasant Thakar and late Pundit Gajananbua Joshi have also contributed to her education.

The style she has created for herself retains the fundamental values of Gwalior Gharana while borrowing somewhat from Kirana and Jaipur gharanas. The 'vidwans' laud the authenticity of her music while most listeners are moved by its directness and intensity. Apart from Khyal, she is sought after for her rich repertoire of bhajans.

She has sung at all the prestigious venues and occasions including Tansen Samaroh in Gwalior and Sawai Gandharva in Pune. At the Vokalfestival in Stockholm and at the Voices of the World festival in Copenhagen she represented Indian Classical Voice. She has recordings under many leading labels. She has been awarded the Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for the year 1993.

Besides being a popular performer, she is also a composer and a teacher. Her compositions adorn many of her recordings. She has taught voice at institutions as well as privately. Currently she offers tuition to advanced students at home. Three of her students have been given National scholarships to study further with her.

Gargi Bhattacharya took some time off with her to know more about her passions, likings and style.

1. In the wake of various forms of music in today’s world, how would you define music?

The only definition I know which includes all the forms is “music is organized sound”.  If you ask what I mean by music, the definition would become much more specific.

Courtesy : Rhythm House, Mumbai

2. What interested you to become a musician?

There is a saying in Marathi that a singer’s baby cries in sur.  My father Pandit Shankar Shripad Bodas was a disciple of Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar. My mother was also an All India Radio artist and taught music at a degree college.  My only brother Pandit Kashinath Shankar Bodas, who was also my guru, was a renowned singer.  So it was only natural that I would become one too.  However, my father encouraged me to widen my horizons.  I studied dance in my school days, and did an MA in Sanskrit when I could (which was 10 years after marriage).

3. What are the main differences between Indian Classical Music and Western Classical Music and their ways of teaching?

Between the two kinds of music there are so many differences one could write a whole book on that subject.  European art music is mostly performed by large groups, and the roles of composer and performer are clearly separated.  In our music, on the other hand, the main artist is simultaneously composer, conductor and soloist.  It is a much more personal art.

Their conservatories are comparable to gurukulas.  We can learn discipline and dedication from them.

4. Is guru shishya parampara same as before or has it degenerated today?

Nothing remains the same.  Change is the order of the world.  But “evolved” better describes the change in classical music education than “degenerated”.  Today parents want their children to complete 12 years of school first, and I think that is the right thing to do.  Along with school, most children interested in music get basic music training through individual or group tuition.  I only accept students after they have reached a certain level, when I think they are ready to learn from me.  In several cases I have had a deserving student stay with me in my home, or somewhere nearby, so that they can hear me and learn from me regularly.

5. Would you like to change the way Indian Classical Music is taught in today’s context? If yes, why?

There is no single, fixed way it is taught today.  Many alternatives are available, and each has strengths and weaknesses.  One should choose wisely what is right for one.

6. Can technology be used to teach music better today?

Definitely.  In my father’s time, the guru often had to play tabla himself when teaching.  For one’s own practice I know people who played bayan with one hand and tanpura with the other.  Today there are machines for that.

I encourage my students to bring along a cassette recorder, record lessons and listen to them repeatedly.  That way they make much faster progress.

7. How should a youngster go about learning music? Which institute would you recommend? What is you advise to the student?

I answered the first part under Q.5 above.  Many students are confused about what they want to achieve.  Do you want a lasting career in performance?  In teaching?  Do you want to become famous quickly?  The paths one should follow for each are different.

8. With the advent of Computers, Computer Musicology has emerged. What is it?

Musicology is defined as an academic study of music.  When it is done with the help of computers it is Computational Musicology.

9. Your husband, Prof H V Sahasrabuddhe, is a stalwart in Computer Science and has done extensive work on Computer Musicology. What is your opinion about the role of Computer Musicology is in today’s world?

For musicology to exist, there has to be music first.  My job is to produce music.  Musicology is certainly good for capturing and preserving for future the contemporary music scene.  But I don’t look towards it for ideas or inspiration.

10.      What are the other creative areas that are influenced by music and how?

All types of creative arts, and indeed human endeavour, can cross-inspire each other.  Pandit Kumar Gandharva spoke (in Mukkam Vashi) of how he was inspired by his sense of wonderment upon seeing an offshore drilling platform under construction.

Motion pictures are perhaps the most notable field.  Early talkies have extensively used Hindustani music for creating or intensifying atmosphere.  Today’s moviemakers need to rediscover that resource.

11.      If you had an option of choosing your career again today would you still choose music? If you were not a musician, what would you be?

I think singing will always be my first choice.  But if for some reason I had to choose something else it would most likely be teaching.

12.      What is your single biggest motivation to perform? Which form of music do you like performing most – khyal or bhajan?

When I started singing for All India Radio in 1972, my children were young.  The next broadcast date is what kept me practicing everyday.  Later when I came to Pune in 1984, I accepted a lot of concerts because I wanted to see how far I could go as a performer.  Today I have listeners who seek me out, you can say “a fan following”, and it is a pleasure to sing for them.

I don’t think I can compare, or even completely separate, khyal and bhajan.  When I composed the vilambit khyal “paar karo” in raga Bhoopal Todi, I meant it as a bhajan.  Khyal is the primary musical language I speak, my musical “mother-tongue”, so to say.  But I have sung whole concerts of bhajans and I enormously enjoy doing so.

13.      Which form of music do you like the most and why? What are your favourite ragas?

My taste in music is quite broad.  I listen to any music as long as it is sincere and nonviolent.  But if you ask for one favourite genre, obviously it will be Hindustani vocal.

Broadly speaking, I like deep ragas that have an atmosphere and can be sung in an elaborate fashion.  There are so many great ragas, each with its own special beauty.  It is not possible to pick one or two.

For my own singing I choose ragas based on what the occasion is, whether the mood and lyrics are appropriate, who else is performing before/after me, etc.  When I listen, to me the artist is more important to me than the raga.

14.      What kind of population do you enjoy performing for the most?

Sahriday rasikas.  I value knowledgeable listeners for the pin-pointed observations they can make about my music.  On the other hand, it is a thrilling experience to see first-time listeners moved by classical music.  Usually my audiences are a mixture of all ages and levels of experience.

15.      What are your criteria for choosing accompanist?

Ideally I want a tabla, a harmonium, and two tanpura-players-cum-supporting-singers.  I want my tabla and harmonium accompanists to pay attention and respond to my music-making.  It is best when we work as a team. In addition they should be punctual, dependable and free from vices.  If I can get my students to play tanpuras that is the best, because I can spend hours with them teaching them how to provide vocal support; but if not, I want tanpura players who play it evenly and gently.

16.      In today’s fast world, which form of music is most relevant according to you?

Depends on what one wants.  To the youngsters wanting an outlet for extra energy, there is energetic music.  Dances in today’s movies are more aerobics than dance.  For those wanting relaxation there is relaxing music.  Some people even suggest that certain types of music can heal the sick.

17.      Music is profoundly related to philosophy. What is your opinion on that?

Listening to great music can be a spiritually uplifting experience.  But sometimes musicians use terms of Hindu philosophy, in my opinion with insufficient justification, to glorify their particular brand of music.  I like to stay away from that.

18.      Music moves the listener and performer somewhere deep within. Do you agree with that? When the performer communicates to the listener somewhere deep inside, isn’t the music more enjoyable?

Absolutely.  Many listeners have come and told me that the effect of my concert stays with them, sort of haunts them, for several days.  How is that possible unless it touches something deep inside them?  It may not be more enjoyable at the moment, but certainly more meaningful.

19.      How would you describe your family’s contribution in your success? 

First of all, I want to emphasize that family relations is a two-way street.  I have always given importance to the values and needs of, first my parental family, and later my husband’s family.  And they have reciprocated by supporting me.

My parents supported my desire to study and provided me with a home where I could do it.  The music school my father started became an extension of my home.  I was free to join any class I wanted.  My mother had full confidence in me – much more confidence than I had myself.  It was because of her encouragement-cum-persuasion that I took on many challenges.  My brother was 13 years older, almost a fatherly figure.  He meant many things to me.  He was probably my most important guru in music, plus a friend I could depend on for emotional support.  He also pampered me a lot.

Because of my husband I first lived on the IIT Kanpur campus, where I taught a number of children and adults.  I even started a music school there.  It was because of him that I moved to Pune in 1984, which proved to be a very important move for my career.  Nowadays he supports my performing career in many small ways, including discussing my plans and recording concerts.

My children – I have a son and a daughter – understood and accepted my frequent travels, long practice sessions, etc.  They never tried to stop me from singing.

20.      What is the most memorable day/moment in your career?

Each occasion when I had one of my idols in the audience were memorable.  Smt. Manik Varma, Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur, Pt. Ravi Shankar, Pt. Kumar Gandharva, Smt. Mogubai Kurdikar, Smt. Kishori Amonkar …  I have had the good fortune to sing in front of so many singers who I consider like gods.

21.      Which western composer do you like most?

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

22.      Did you perform in Kolkata? How was the audience there?

I have come there many times.  I have performed 3-4 times at the Dover Lane conference, and also Uttarpara and other platforms.  Kolkata audiences are very receptive to elaborate alaps.  It is a pleasure to sing a full raga in Kolkata.

23.      Are you interested in literature? Which kind of literature do you like most?

I regularly read an independent Marathi monthly called Antarnaad.  It carries thought-provoking articles about life today.  I like the old-fashioned, metered poetry of saint-poets like Kabir, Tulsi, Soordas and Meera.  It is full of profound meaning and is eminently suitable for singing.

Thank you Mrs. Saharshrabuddhe for spending time with Sonjahuri and for providing your insights to it.