Carrying on the musical legacy

Legendary singer

Belonging to the family that has a tradition of singing in the Mewati Gharana style, music has been both a legacy and a passion for him. In an interview with Metrolife, the Padma Vibhushan awardee speaks about his love for the city of Bangalore, popular music and much more.

Having performed in Bangalore many times earlier, he seems to be in love with the people here. “I love the City,” he says. “The people here have given me so much love, why shouldn’t I love them back?,” he asks. Talking further about his experiences, he says, “The people are very cultured and they care about the Indian heritage. While they have the Carnatic music, they listen and enjoy the North Indian classical music too.”

Did he choose to become a musician or was it forced on him? “The interest was there. No one can learn music forcefully,” he says. “It is a God’s gift and only those who are truly blessed become musicians,” he adds. Talking about his family, he mentions that everyone has learnt music. “My daughter Durga is very good singer and my son Sarang Dev, composes music too,” he says. “Even my nephew in London composes fusion music,” he informs.

Does he feel that the interest in classical music has decreased today? “Earlier, when I used to perform, a gathering of 25 to 30 people used to be respectable,” he says. “But today, there are thousands of people who come to listen to the music. So, I don’t think the interest has decreased at all,” he says. And does he think that music should be imparted in young children? “It is important because some may have the spark and carry it forward. Our duty is to teach but the rest is upto the younger generation,” he says.

And what kind of music does he listen to? “I just like music,” he says laughingly. “It is not as if I don’t listen to pop and rock music. I also like that,” he says. And who does he like in these music genre? “I don’t know the names of all but I do like Madonna,” he informs.

Talking about the Hindi film music, he says, “Sometime back there was a period, when I didn’t really enjoy the songs but now the music is really good. Yesterday, I was listening to the radio playing Hindi film songs for over three hours,” he says. And Pandit Jasraj also mentioned his favourites among the current breed of singers. “Right now, I like Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal, Mahalakshmi Iyer, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Sadhana Sargam,” he says.