Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia: “Playing the flute is like doing yoga”
The maestro spoke about his Vrindaban Gurukul in Mumbai and his memories of Ustad Zakir Hussain, Yash Chopra and Ratan Tata
During your session with Sathya Saran, author of your biography, Breath of Gold, you mentioned that your father wanted you to become a wrestler. That seems difficult to imagine. Why did he want that for you?
A painter wants his son to be a painter and a circus artist wants his son to be a circus artist. So, like every other father, my father too wanted me to follow in his footsteps. He was a pehelwan and he wanted me to be one. But while growing up in Allahabad, I was not interested in exercising in the akhada. I tried doing that to make him happy and I told myself that it would be good for my health too but I did not like wrestling. When you start liking music, and you become fully immersed in that, you do not like anything else — not even sports. But I understood that my father had brought me into the world, so he felt responsible for me, more so after my mother passed away. He wanted me to do well in life and he guided me accordingly.
What made you fall in love with the flute?
The flute is the world’s oldest and simplest musical instrument. It is not made of gold or silver. It is not studded with diamonds. It is just a piece of bamboo, so it is not expensive. Apart from all this, it is easy to maintain because it has no strings or leather. It is easily available. You just have to blow into it, so you can play it even at the end of a long day. Playing the flute is like doing yoga. You never feel tired. You feel peaceful instead because the flute gives you energy.
What advice would you give parents who prevent their children from pursuing a career in music because they are worried about financial instability in this line of work?
Yes, that is a big issue. All parents think about risks. But risks are a part of life. Learning how to fly a plane is also risky but that does not stop people from training to be pilots. Once children get involved in music, either by playing an instrument or singing, they become tuneful. They start listening carefully. Their enjoyment extends beyond music. They become more alert to the beauty of nature. They learn how to make others happy with their music.
Ustad Zakir Hussain, a contemporary of yours and a friend and collaborator, passed away recently. Please share with us some of your fondest memories
He was like a family member to me. We used to play in the morning at St Xavier’s College in Bombay, then fly to Amritsar and go to Lahore on the other side of the Wagah border. Today, many people won’t believe that such a time existed and it was not many years ago.
Apart from contributing to Hindustani classical music, you composed music for Hindi films like Silsila, Chandni, Lamhe and Darr with Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. All of these were directed and produced by Yash Chopra. What was it like to work with him?
He was not only a great director and producer but also a great philosopher. He used to really enjoy writing lyrics for film songs. His wife Pamela Chopra was also a wonderful person. She used to sing so well, and she liked singing the songs that her husband wrote. They used to invite Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri, Javed Akhtar and me. We used to sit for hours, eating and talking and singing and enjoying our time together. It was such a beautiful environment!
What are your thoughts on the music that we hear in Hindi films today?
Earlier, the music was connected to the story of the film. Many of the films being made were musicals, so the directors and producers took a lot of interest in the music compositions.
You put a lot of energy into setting up the Vrindaban Gurukul in Mumbai. How actively are you able to make time to participate in its day-to-day functioning now?
At this stage of my life, I am enjoying myself by listening to my students. I like to watch what they are doing and find out what they are thinking about. I see myself as a student, so I too can learn from them. Learning does not have to be one-sided, and it is not limited by age.
Earlier, you recalled your interaction with industrialist Ratan Tata who helped you with the funds to set up the Vrindaban Gurukul. How would you like to remember him?
I will never forget a person like him and a family like his. I would like to remember him not as Ratan but as Navratan because he shone brighter than a gemstone. He did so much for art, music and education in a single lifetime. If he really believed in something, he supported it wholeheartedly. He was not just a remarkable businessman but a very fine human being.
Chintan Girish Modi is a Mumbai-based journalist who writes about books, art and culture. He can be reached @chintanwriting on Instagram and X.
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