JOIN USOne of the celebrated torchbearers of Indian classical music, Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya has brought a new dimension to the playing style of santoor by creating musical patterns that are unprecedented. He is also the inventor of mankas, the fine-tuners that help tune the 100-stringed instrument to a high degree of accuracy. Excerpts from an interview with the maestro...
How did you come by santoor? Why do you prefer to call it shata-tantri veena?
I grew up playing the organ, sitar, guitar, tabla and the piano as my father, Rabi Bhattacharya — he also played the sitar — ran a music school in our Howrah
residence. I wasn’t serious about music at all. He pushed me to pursue it. It was 15 years before I decided to learn the santoor, under the guidance of Dulal Roy.
"The word ‘santoor’ is of Middle-Eastern origin, whereas the word shata-tantri veena can be found in the Vedas. So why not use the original name?
Is it true that you were the only approved disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar who played the santoor? Please share the experience.
Indeed. It was a lovely experience. Raviji was my guru and will continue to be so. There is a difference between a teacher and a guru. A guru is someone who also moulds your character apart from teaching music. I’ve learnt so much from Raviji. I used to stay with him in Varanasi. I also visited him in Mumbai and the US. It’s important to maintain the guru-shishya bond. Only then can one learn music.
Do you think Bollywood music eclipses classical music?
Yes, partly. Well, I am a positive musician, and I strongly believe in the art of presentation. I think we should be a bit more careful presenting ourselves in front of an audience. When I play at college fests, I modify my style. When I perform a Bollywood tune, I play some ragas related to that tune. And I have seen it work. It’s about making the style of music a bit more appealing to youngsters. When I play to a much older
audience, my performance becomes more raga-oriented, more grammatical.
How important is music for growth?
This is what I tell everyone: be musical, if you cannot be a musician. Music helps everyone overcome stress. You can meditate using music. My music is used in German mental asylums to treat people. Try listening to Pandit Ravi Shankar after a good night’s sleep and go to bed listening to Ustaad Bismillah Khan.
You have performed at many lovely venues across the world. Please share a few memorable experiences.
On my first ever tour, in Canada, 3 of us played a small piece as instructed by Raviji. When it ended, the 2,000-odd viewers stood up, as if to leave.
As newcomers, we thought they were unimpressed. So we packed our instruments and left! Later, the manager said that we had performed extremely well and the audience standing up was a standing ovation! Back home, after I performed in Santiniketan, the audience applauded by chanting ‘Sadhu, sadhu.’ At the end of a performance in Varanasi, the 2,500-odd people began chanting ‘Har Har Mahadev’ in unison; it was a spine-chilling response.
Why aren’t you scoring for films?
I have done background scores for many Bengali films. But the reason I’m not scoring for any Hindi movies is the lack of good projects.
Looking at the number of awards you have received from the government, do you think you have been overlooked?
Yes. And I’m disappointed. But I’ll continue to play and learn music till my last breath.