Shruti Sadolikar (Reproduced from Sruti 307)

INTERVIEW
‘WE SHOULD BE HONEST WITH OUR ART’
An interview with Shruti Sadolikar
Meena Banerjee
S
hruti Sadolikar Katkar, one of the best
contemporary exponents of the Jaipur Atrauli
gharana, was in Kolkata recently. During a
rewarding morning session organised by Sangeet
Ashram at G.D. Birla Sabhagar, the erudite vocalist
presented a bunch of less known raga-s. Pandit
Vijay Kichlu, the director of the organisation, who
believes in introducing the artist in style, played brief
recordings of the legendary Kesarbai Kerkar and
Vaamanrao Sadolikar, Shruti’s father-guru, to display the
salient features of her school of music.
Bahaduri Todi – an uncommon variety of Todi
that Shruti began her recital with – sports both
rishabha-s. In Shruti’s interpretation, the suddha
rishabha radiated valour, while the komal rishabha
oozed pathos. The complex step-by step ascending order
seemed to absorb these conflicting moods of the raga
with superb clarity. The slow teen tala composition,
slower than the usual Jaipur-favoured tempo, helped in
etching the emotion-filled raga-roop more effectively.
The behlava-s, the taan-s, the medium-paced composition
– all seemed to relish the features of the raga at an
unhurried speed.
A rare ‘Vibhas ka prakar’ with suddha dhaivata and
a fleeting touch of nishada and teevra madhyama, a
Hindol Bahar – with more Hindol than Bahar – and
Khat (Sanskrit’s “shat” for six turns “khat” in north
Indian dialects) were the other treats. Khat is a complex
melody that blends six raga-s. Different schools treat
this raga differently.
The canvas of all these raga-s sparkled in the light
of Shruti’s crystal clear concept, strengthened by
eloquent bandishes. All were aesthetically coloured by
inspired improvisations that never wavered from the
given order of ascent, descent, twists and turns.
This long solo session reconfirmed that Shruti practises
what she preaches. Shruti who is Vice-Chancellor of
Bhatkhande Music College, Lucknow and a visiting
professor at the Rotterdam Music Conservatory had
given me an extensive interview earlier ( January 2006)
during her stay in Kolkata as the visiting guru of
ITC Sangeet Research Academy. The import of what
she said then emerged more clearly now.
54 l SRUTI April 2010
Shruti Sadolikar
What is the secret of the uncluttered musicality of your
khayal singing?
Shruti: Frankly Ustad Alladiya Khan, the founder
of our gharana, developed a wonderful method of
handling the complex gait of such raga-s. As you know,
he was a dhrupadiya. As a result, clarity of the ragaroop was the most important aspect of his style. This
came to me naturally as my father Vaamanrao Sadolikar
was a disciple of the ustad and music flowed freely in
our household.
Even abstract art follows a pattern. We should be sure
whether we want to draw a circle or a square. Similarly
raga-s need to be justified by their compositions.
Raga-elaboration must follow the path exposed by the
bandish. When unsure of the raga’s features, we must
have the courage to admit it with élan by announcing
that “this is a ‘prakar’ (variety) of a given raga”; or “after
singing Yaman (with teevra madhyama only) in slow
tempo the fast tempo will be in Yaman Kalyan (with
both madhyama-s)”. Where lies the confusion?
We should be honest with our art. This frankness,
springing from the assurance born out of solid taleem,
pays its dividend because this way we can win the
confidence of the audience. Since we do not get the
erudite audiences of yore, we have to cultivate and
educate our listeners all at once. But it is also true
that path-breaking musicians like Kumar Gandharva
or Kishori Amonkar have mesmerised one and all with
their sheer conviction and inimitable style.
INTERVIEW
It’s a fact that a musician’s total personality gets
involved with his music. An organised person is
bound to present his art in an uncomplicated,
structured manner while an eccentric’s music
remains unpredictable like his personality. A sense of
proportion makes or breaks every thing in life. Music is
no different.
I try to be organised in every sphere of life. I balance
my career with my duties as a wife and the mother of a
grown-up son. Earlier I had to balance my academics
with my music. My mother encouraged me not only
to learn music but also to study hard. Despite the
house being filled with music and despite my natural
attraction towards what was going on musically,
I did my masters in music besides learning Marathi and
English literature as major subjects up to graduation.
I also acquired a ‘Sangeet Visharad’ from Gandharva
Mahavidyalaya.
Do degrees help a performing artist?
Ustad Azim Khan, grandson of Ustad Alladiya Khan
and son of Bhurji Khan, guides me still. This way,
I have become connected with all the greats of the
gharana. Gradually I learnt to take risks while
experimenting with melodic phrases, rhythmic
patterns and ornamentation of raga-s. All this, and
life’s experiences keep widening the horizon of my
music.
Any favourite musician?
Begum Akhtar’s emotive style tugs at my heart.
Kesarbai Kerkar’s pure aakar is venerable. And I
admire Kishori Amonkar for her ability to completely
immerse herself in melody. I personally opt to root
myself in the grounds of purity, though purity is a
relative term. The treatment of raga-s differs from
gharana to gharana! But once the gharana’s name and
raga are mentioned, I must stay committed to that style
n
and its specific version of the raga.
Yes and no. ‘Yes’ because they give you the power of
education, knowledge of scriptures or sastra, clarity
of thinking and economic independence. And ‘No’
because musicianship is an ongoing process that
demands constant learning and regular practice.
Sastra has a very strange relationship with music. In
languages, we listen, read and apply, but music is
described as ‘karant vidya’ or practical application-based
knowledge. I feel we must get closer to the scriptures as
well. The times have changed. We have numerous ways
to learn and discuss. Even guru-s are liberal and
encourage questions. This was unimaginable earlier.
So, we must fly, but only after constructing a solid
foundation.
There was a time when the canvas of my khayal was
small, but apart from my father’s guidance, I was
singularly lucky to have learnt from Ustad Gulab
Bhai Jasdanwala, an erudite disciple of Ustad Alladiya
Khan and his son Manji Khan. He was respected
among musicians for his enviable collection of
traditional bandishes. He gave me extensive taleem for
twelve years and, gradually, each raga started sparkling
like a well-cut diamond in the light of dissimilar
angles shown by different bandishes. It became evident
that every raga is unique because of the place and
timing of its notes. Rhythm and tempo play the most
important part in raga elaboration.
55 l SRUTI April 2010