When Music is in the Family

In India, music and other art-forms still grab a backseat in terms of money, and a well-to-do living. Artists and musicians work indignantly to seek respect and recognition by the masses. Only three people can survive in this field who achieve their dreamt money fame: family prodigy, approach-driven, and exceptionally intelligent (to grasp faster). It’s harder for the remaining average, unfamed musician, to lead an economically happy life. Good and renowned musicians and musicologists are seen living in the ‘kholi’ types houses.

 Around 20% of the normal musicians (average performers) grow famous because of proper guidance of the Guru and their own rigorous practices. If the Guru is an eminent maestro or a famous Gharana stalwart, then its but obvious for a disciple to perform with his/her Guru and then individually. Gurus also choose the people as their disciples who are already adequately intelligent to easily grasp their lessons. They (stalwart Gurus) never take the average music minds or lovers as their disciples even by gauging their hard-work and perseverance. Reason being well-equipped by their Guru’s guidance and deadline (given by the Guru) to become a performer, the intelligent lots grab the opportunity to become an accomplished musician, a contemplator and financially self-sufficient. Therefore, as compared to the normal people, nature is much more favorable to the inborn intelligent groups.

Struggles are for the mediocre music artists, hard-workers, who spend their lives either in satisfying themselves in whatever less they have, or in approaching the related contacts to grow their careers. The duration they consume to build up their professional career is lengthier than those of family lineage or inborn talent. They gradually tune up by continuing in the field by their own passion and dedication. Hence, sometimes, in the race between swar-sadhna (music meditation) and professionalism, they have to choose the latter one, in order to justify their efforts and practices.

Kaushiki Chakraborty: “I was six years old when I travelled with my parents for a three-month tour to the US. Every weekend there would be two to three concerts and I would sing at every concert with my father, until 2 or 3 am each time.”[1] Says Kaushiki Chakraborty, the renowned vocalist and daughter of Pt. Ajoy Chokraborty. Becoming a performer at six years of age is like a dream for the majority artists. However, for some naturally privileged people, it’s as easy as coming (being born in the family lineage), enjoying the main course (music journey is a cake-walk) and departing (Death).

Some subtle pleasure nature itself has given us according to the good and karmas. Not only in music, almost in all the fields, some child prodigies like Kaushiki Chakraborty, Pt. Rakesh Chaurasiya, Aman-Ayaan Ali Khan, Zakir Hussain, Shashank Subramanian, have been assigned to be the part of such families according to their past karmas. For them, struggles and frustration of grabbing the bliss of a correct note (Sachha-Sur) compresses short. They come to the world, enjoy the game (practice, career and profession) without any hindrances and leave the world.

Aman and Ayaan Ali Khan: “The good part is that in a profession of this nature, where you get to travel so often, you meet the most interesting kind of people all over the world. We remember a time when a concert took place on a boat in the middle of an ocean. It was exciting. On another occasion, we played at the Taj Mahal. It was like a dream. Playing for Prince Charles was also memorable,” Says Sarod player and son of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ayaan.[2]  

The musicians who are carrying the family legacies are both privileged at the same time falter from the path of musical contemplation. Achieving the spoon-feed guidance from their father, uncles, brothers, etc. right from their childhood, they lack the value and norm of music thinking. “My father was another name to Hitler! We still don’t have conversations. He tells me something and I say yes to it. Despite being a child back then, I could never tell him I won’t perform or that I was tired or wanted to sleep. And it wasn’t just about singing on stage, I also had stage etiquette that I learnt from him. That was true survival.”[3] Says Kaushiki.

 Compared to the struggling lots, they lack aesthetics, uniqueness, and innovative aspects in their music. They become performers at their teens or earlier and play-around with their destiny and journey. For instance, Kaushiki Ji’s music is the land of perfect nuances, accuracy of notes, openness, speed, fluency in fact, every vocal aspect. However, to my perception, she lacks thehraav and aesthetics as her father or any older musicians possess.

Struggles and hardships in the process of meeting our dreamed career is indeed important to enjoy or attain the hedonism in music later, after a certain period.

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[1] https://creativeyatra.com/culture/when-life-is-a-song/

[2] http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/Indian-classical-music-coincides-with-spirituality/article16854634.ece

[3] https://creativeyatra.com/culture/when-life-is-a-song/