Rahul on being son Abhinav’s teacher: Line between being a father and guru is still being drawn

Santoor player Rahul Sharma who learnt from his father is continuing the guru-shishya parampara with his son Abhinav

Santoor player started learning from his father, late santoor legend Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, when he was 13. And now, taking the guru-shishya parampara forward with his nine-year-old son, Abhinav, gives Rahul a lot of contentment. On Teacher’s Day today, he tells us how teaching his son “feels surreal”. Rahul shares, “The fact that the tradition of learning continues from my father to me and now my son is truly a blessing. But, teaching requires patience. I try and make learning a fun experience for him before the strict discipline comes in.”

Santoor player Rahul Sharma teaching his son Abhinav

For Abhinav, learning from his dad feels like a breeze. “He is a great guru. He teaches in a fun way and is not strict at all,” he says.

While Rahul is not strict about the guru-shishya parampara like most yesteryear Indian classical musicians, he does like it when his son “seeks my blessings before a performance like I did from my father”. Talking about drawing lines between both the roles, Rahul (50) adds, “I guess the line between a father and guru is still being drawn. It’s a fine line, as the guru-shishya respect needs to be prevalent along with the warmth of father-son.”

Talking about the role of a guru. Rahul adds, “I think being a good performer on stage and being a good teacher are both different skills that my dad possesed and though he was extremely patient, he did not have to repeat too much as I was a quick learner. I practise and preach the same method with Abhinav.”

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