Striking the right musical chord

Polish artiste Michal Rudas tells Purnima Sharma that he is enjoying his tryst with Hindustani classical as it has helped him express his feelings better with music

With his renditions of Mast Kalandar and Dilbar Mere Kab Tak Mujhe, among many others, in the music reality show Dil Hai Hindustani, Polish artiste, Michal Rudas, became an instant hit with Indian music lovers who enjoyed his vocal prowess for the many weeks he was on the show. An alumnus of the Bednarska Music College in Warsaw, Rudas’ l’affaire with Hindustani shastriya sangeet and now Bollywood music too, often brings him to India and each experience, he says, proves to be more enriching and enjoyable than the last. A chat with the talented artiste on what makes him tick, musically…

Tell us about your journey with Indian music.

When I was about 15 years old, I had started soul-searching for my own identity and then, somehow, came across Indian fusion music and then, classical Indian music. Music led me to the culture, philosophy and spirituality of India. My exposure over time to this country’s culture, which is very distinct from my Christian one and the way I was brought up, were important factors that helped me become a more self-aware artiste.

What was the reaction of your parents when they learnt of your leanings towards Indian music?

That was a long process, so by the time it became my real passion – after my first trip to India ­— I think they got used to it. Now they support me and are happy with my work here, and the appreciation and success I’ve achieved.

You’ve been coming to India for the past 14 years to learn Indian classical music. What’s been the journey like?

My first guru, Anup Mishraji, of the Sanpurnanda Sanskrit University in Varanasi, has been my teacher and friend from the outset. And it is to him that I owe my growth in the field of classical Hindustani singing. He has been teaching me khayal gayaki in the Benaras gharana style. When I first started, I used to come to India almost every year and spend about one or two months attending classes and, of course, doing my riyaaz. The entire process of my learning — getting my diction and the feel for the song right — happened in a very traditional way — of a disciple following his master to the tee. This way I started learning the style, and how to express my feelings through Indian music.

Tell us about your stay in Varanasi…

My stay in Varanasi not just brought me closer to Indian music but also to River Ganga. Whenever I am there, I always live very close to it and to the ghats that are so beautiful, peaceful, and take you onto a different spiritual plane altogether. In my free time, I spend a lot of time walking around them, taking part in the aarti and boat cruises down the Ganga. And really, I must say that Ganga is truly the soul not just of Varanasi but the whole of India — and for me too, it has been a source of inspiration not only for my music, but also for my life!

You seem to have picked up Indian traditions like touching your gurus/seniors’ feet very naturally. How did that happen?

Touching the feet of gurus was a new thing for me in the beginning. And I must say, I really liked this tradition of paying respect to one’s teachers, gurus and elders by touching their feet. And now, when I really respect someone, I find show my respect this way.

Tell us about your process and progress with learning Hindi.

My process of learning Hindi has been on for a while. I started out with the Devanagari script, and this has helped me in getting my pronunciation right. My diction improved tremendously thanks to my teachers in the show, Dil Hai Hindustani. Singing in a foreign language is always much easier than speaking, because while speaking, you mostly focus on what words to say, so usually you don’t focus on the accent too much. However, when you are singing, you follow the melody of the language, and by learning the song, get time to practice the right sounds.