I am still learning, says Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia has taken to the stage countless times in his long and illustrious career spanning over six decades. However, when he steps on to the stage today, it will be with an entourage of 68 flautists. Why? To celebrate India’s 68th Republic Day, of course. The maestro will be playing in Mumbai at the 9th Bansuri Festival curated by his student Vivek Sonar, which he has been a part of since its inception in 2007. The number of flautists is not all that’s special about this programme. The proceeds of the function will be donated to the Shahid Jawan Fund.

As a young boy in Allahabad in the 1940s and ‘50s, Hariprasad Chaurasia would have never believed that he would go on to become a world-renowned bansuri artiste. With a wrestler for a father, who wished him to follow in his footsteps, the maestro learned his craft secretly. “When he came to find out, my father was only disappointed that I had been hiding the truth from him. The reason was that I had lost my mother when I was just five and I did not want to disappoint him,” recalls the flute exponent. The maestro further recalls that some of his most cherished work was with his fellow musician and dear friend Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma. Indeed, during the ‘70s and ‘80s, the Shiv-Hari duo was a name that people associated with some of the most iconic movies of the time, like Silsila, Chandni, Lamhe and Darr. Pt. Hariprasad, however, says that the reason for branching out into Bollywood was largely for practical purposes. “Initially we started our collaborations with Call of the Valley and the partnership continued from there. We spent so much time collaborating on songs, that we became friends. We started collaborating on films for very practical purposes. We had been making albums for a while but we both had families to support, for which you need money, and when the offer to compose music for Silsila came along, we both decided to take it up. People who love film music also got to know us,” he explains.

Although the two eventually stopped their filmy collaboration, the maestro says that their friendship has stood the test of time. “I have known him for over 50 years now and we continue to remain great friends. If we see an opportunity to create music like the olden days, I would surely like to take it,” he says, enthusiastically.

Though times have changed and with it the music scene in India has undergone a transformation, the maestro believes that a few things remain the same. For instance, he holds firm on the fact that the only way in which a student of the flute can become an established musician is to dedicate himself to the instrument. “If one is good enough, then your talent will be recognised. But that time and dedication to the craft is essential. There is never an end to learning. I have been playing the flute for over 60 years and I am still learning. I listen to other exponents and I go to my teacher when I want advice. I also give a lot of time to sadhna. Every morning, I like to start my day with the Bhairav raga,” he says.