The Score Magazine March 2020 issue | Page 19

or watching others learn. Vikku sir would teach me the small nuances of ghatam playing. He would play any number of times and I had to observe keenly and learn. When I learnt from him, during the 70s, it was a golden period as many stalwarts visited our school. With them, I have had such memorable learning sessions. And sir also had ample time to teach. We used to have group sessions. These sessions inspire me even today. Even today when sir creates any new composition he teaches me. What were some of the techniques you learnt from Vikku ji that you use a lot? In Vikku sir’s technique the use of all ten fingers is key. All fingers have to be developed to produce equal pressure. He has developed special exercises to achieve felicity in all the ten fingers. Another speciality is the exploration of the entire instrument – all spaces on the ghatam are played on – the neck, mouth, belly everything. Composing shlokas / verses on the ghatam is another of his distinct aspects. A particular verse is explored in terms of its sound and that sound is executed on the ghatam. So when you listen to the verse on the ghatam you can actually hear the verse itself. That is another thing I have learnt from him. How is Ghatam perceived amongst youngsters in India and how are you making it more popular especially among women? Youngsters are taking considerable interest in the ghatam. There are also some girls playing ghatam now. There was a time when girls were not allowed to step out of the house. Music teachers would come home to teach them or they had to learn from parents or siblings at home. It has changed a bit. Today while most girls are still encouraged to learn singing or playing melodic instruments there are some that have taken keen interest in percussion. They are also exploring many other forms of music making. I think social media has been a great aid to learning. There is so much more exposure. Sharing your work has become easy. New networks are formed. And girls / women find encouragement and inspiration from a larger world. This is a great development. Could you share some tips for aspiring Ghatam artists especially women Practice, Practice and Practice. There is no substitute for hard work. Practice consistently and practice sincerely. Listen to master musicians from the past as well as to your own contemporaries. Learn from them and create your own music. Be updated with current trends in the field. More than physical strength you should have mental strength. Highlight your upcoming projects I recently completed a wonderful project in Pune, playing with percussion master Greg Ellis, Flamenco dancer Bettina Castanos, guitarist Santosh Chandran, Sitar player Shakir Khan and Tabla player Unmesh Baneerji. It was such a wonderful experience playing with all of them. I run the Sunaadam Trust through which we have been popularising the ghatam. We organise workshops, concerts and thematic ensembles to bring the ghatam to the forefront. We want to take the ghatam to schools, orphanages and other places. My dream is to play Ghata Tharang and popularise it across the world. Another project is to document the lives and works of ghatam masters. I also want to document all the korvais that I know so that it can be of use to students. The Score Magazine highonscore.com 17