Picture Credit- Dhruv Sethi
You are known for powerful vocals and bringing in amazing vocal range in your renditions . What is the secret behind it ?
I ’ m afraid I cannot take any credit for that , because the credit goes entirely to my gurus and the rigorous taaleem or training I received from them in the two Hindustani classical vocal forms known as khayal and thumri respectively . I have been studying these forms for many decades now and was lucky to be trained by some of the most revered and acclaimed scholar musicians of our times , namely Pt . Ramashreya Jha ‘ Ramrang ’, Pt . Vinaya Chandra Maudgalya , Pt . Vasant Thakar , Pt . Jitendra Abhisheki , Pt . Kumar Gandharva and Smt . Naina Devi . It is possible that for those who are unfamiliar with Hindustani classical music , these names might mean nothing at all . But those who are even slightly familiar with classical music would tell you that the mere mention that I am a disciple of these great musicians gives me a certain credibility in some circles .
In the Hindustani classical system , the guru trains a student ’ s voice meticulously and rigorously , through a series of vocal exercises and pedagogical devices practiced initially under the guru ’ s supervision , and later , one one ’ s own . I am fortunate to have been trained in a similar manner .
What was your most challenging experience on-stage ? How did you deal with it ? Can you share it with us ?
I have been singing on stage for many decades now so there have been many challenging situations and I would find it tough to determine which is the most challenging situation I have been in .
But to name one of several dire predicaments I have faced , I was once on tour in the USA a long time ago , and at a performance in Washington DC , the crew could not get the audio system to switch on , try as they might . We first waited on stage to do a sound check , all tuned up and ready to check , but when the microphones wouldn ’ t work , we were asked to move to the green room for a bit while the tech staff at the venue worked things out . In the green room we went through many cups of tea as we waited , but still no luck . Finally , it was time for the performance , and the audience was waiting to be let in , but the audio issue still remained to be sorted out . Mind you , this was a very prestigious venue , and with very competent crew , so this was a freak incident , and completely inexplicable . Anyway , we had to take a call on what to do and I suggested , that if my accompanying artistes agreed , we could perform without amplification . Those members of the audience who wished to stay
The Score Magazine highonscore . com
9