Hindustani Classical Music needs change
Hi darling,
I know I have not been able to write to you in quite some, so apologies for that. I feel the number of times I have apologised to you already, you must have understood that your old man has trouble keeping up with routine.
I was busier than usual with work, got a promotion at work. Pretty pleased with myself about that. My classes are going fine, I did box squats for the first time in my life. Maintaining a routine with regards to personal fitness has been very rewarding, it has led me to set new goals about my strength and stamina. My violin and sitar exams are coming up. Pretty excited for that too. Well, that’s a quick life update.
For the past few weeks, I have been watching and reading a lot about TM Krishna and he has inspired me to write this to you. I have been learning, playing the sitar and also questioning myself about a lot of things in Hindustani Classical Music for the past 2 years. He has given me the strength to question it even more. I am writing down a few points about the same. All of these points come from a love of the art form and my intense desire to see it grow and flourish. Also,
We cannot stop questioning our beliefs , value systems, culture and art. We cannot keep it insulated from free thought by putting up labels of heritage and tradition. Our questions must come from a good intention of heart and we must also be willing to change our beliefs if met with a satisfying response.
It is not the most complex thing in the world - All the practitioners of this art form think in some weird delusional way that their art is the most complex thing that humanity has ever attempted. It is not the case at all. Ofcourse, it is difficult and has its nuances, and takes years to master, but that can be said about quite a large number of professions. This central though has quite a few “side-effects” mentioned below.,
Riyaaz is present in all walks of life - Practicing an activity makes our neural pathways stronger and makes that activity easier over time. This is true almost universally for any activity from running to cooking to singing. Riyaaz is essentially that, and almost every profession has it, even though they may not glorify it always. Even a bricklayer who is out of practice will be slower and more inefficient over time.
It has to be more encouraging to learn - Does anybody who learns singing end up singing like Md Rafi, does anybody who learns playing the guitar play it like Jimmy Hendrix. Ofcourse not. But, that does not mean that we give up the enjoyment that music brings to us. The current pedagogy focuses too much on how difficult it is to practice this art form rather than making it welcoming to learn. If we discourage early adopters, it just inhibits the growth of the art form in the long run.
Stop looking down on other forms of music - I was recently watching a video of Ust. Shahid Parvez Khan where he talks about the influence of Md Rafi on his music. It was an absolute treat to watch. We have a come a long way from when classical musicians used to look down upon other art forms to this interview. There is no reason why people should look down on other art forms especially folk, when in fact a lot of the ragas are incorporated from common folk tunes.
You do not understand it phenomenon - It is quite strange that a lot of people and also artists give this explanation. People are not supposed to or expected to understand the technicalities of music, yet they can truly enjoy it. I am quite confused by this, since sometimes people say we need some sort of background knowledge to understand this music while others say we need to just feel it. But, whatever the case maybe, we should be open to why people do not like this type of music rather than demeaning them about their opinions.
The guru shishya process has major flaws - The most universally bad idea is to submit oneself unquestioningly to a person or an idea, then it becomes a dogma. The system of pedagogy should focus on creating an environment which is safe and encouraging for people to learn. Individual people may be good at heart, but that does not guarantee that the students who are powerless in this equation are well protected from exploitation.
My guru is great, hence I am great phenomenon - In true south asian style, the capability of an individual is often partially dependent on their ancestry, in this case music ancestry. Often people use the name of their guru as a brand name. Yes, it of course makes sense to dedicate your good performance to your guru. But, it does not make sense to say that my guru was so-and-so, hence already creating a bias towards your performance. That should only be based on your talent and capability.
We need more attention to lyrics - Lyrical development is quite lacking in traditional compositions. We need to bring out more compositions whose lyrics speak about our daily life and its struggles and also in a language that everyone understands.
Performances have to change - Hindustani music was patronised by kings and nobles with ample time on their hands, because they had 100 people to take care of their daily chores. It is quite elitist to expect that a regular working person in today’s day and age will have so much time on their hands to listen to a 2 hr recording. People who make time for it, that’s great, but we have to cater to the public demand as well.
I am related to Tansen phenomenon - Tansen might have been a great singer, and we should have respect for him. But, everyone is trying to attach their genealogy to Tansen is quite funny. I do not have anything to do with Tansen’s line and I could not care less.
These are some points which I have thought of in my head, they may change over time and maybe I will correct some of them or even add some more.
Spirit of Dissent - https://amzn.asia/d/eVTAEWH
Reshaping Art - https://amzn.asia/d/8RLkwgZ
Best,
Dad
P.S - Never stop questioning anything, except maybe your dad’s love.