close_game
close_game

Bansuri conquers East Germany

PTI | ByBERLIN DIARY | Varupi Jain
Jul 26, 2005 09:49 PM IST

Leipzig-wallahs will remember the concert by Pundit Hari Prasad Chaurasia not 'just' for the flute recital, writes Varupi Jain.

It was one of those evenings which so overwhelm and fulfil you that you feel

HT Image
HT Image

you've lived it all and are ready to walk out of the world the next morning. Leipzig-wallahs will remember the concert by Pundit Hari Prasad Chaurasia not 'just' for the flute recital. It isn't everyday that the ambassador of India to Germany, the mayor of Leipzig, Alexander Prince of Saxony, crowds of Pakistanis, Bangladeshis (besides the Indians of course), German Indologists, and other lovers of music and India sit charmed and shackled by the invisible strains of the bansuri in a city in former East Germany.

The evening began with a short film on the famous tabla-player Late Chatur Lal. Raag Yaman filled the auditorium as Pt Chaurasia began his flute recital accompanied by Vijay Ghate on the tabla. The audience nearly shouted in delight as the jugalbandi reached its crescendo.

This concert was the first of its kind in former East Germany after reunification - certainly of note given that this part of Germany is not exactly known for its cosmopolitanism. Close cooperation between the Indian embassy in Berlin and Mr Mukesh Lal was able to kick off the event. Mr Lal, owner of the restaurant 'Indian Garden' in Leipzig has invested a lot of time and resources into the organization. Lal sees such events as networking platforms. "My idea was to bring together different people from diverse backgrounds at this platform. India has tremendous potential for investment and the state of Saxony has enough know-how and is looking for investment opportunities. When diverse people come together at such occasions, a dialogue gets started," offers Lal.

Sudhanshu Pandey, Counseller at the Indian Embassy in Berlin nods in agreement. "The support of local organisers is very important. We were considering the possibility of Pundit ji's coming and Leipzig, Berlin and Darmstadt responded," says Pandey. Even the concert in Darmstadt saw an overwhelming response with over four hundred guests urging the artists to play for over three hours.

As for Pundit ji, he's quite at home in Europe and spends many months every year teaching Indian music at the University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Well, what the world of wrestling lost was the gain of the world of music. Ask Chaurasia to comment on parents' traditional tendency to push their children towards commercially lucrative streams, and he tells you his own life story. "My father wanted me to be a pahalwan (wrestler) like him. When that did not seem feasible, he dreamt of a government job for me. Just to make my parents happy, I applied for a job after 10th class and became a stenographer. My parents were the happiest parents on earth….after all, their son had got a sarkari naukri," chuckles Chaurasia, making it impossible for one to imagine him sitting before a typewriter.

However, he used to devote the time after work to music - not for money but as his devotion, his prayer. He felt lucky when as a staff artist at All India Radio (AIR) Cuttack, he could combine his own dreams with those of his parents. This job even paid more - Rs 160 per month, which was a luxury, he says. However, because of his growing recognition, he was forcibly transferred to Mumbai, which was the proverbial blessing in disguise. "I became poor again because the same Rs 160 was just enough for transportation in that expensive city." It was here that he came across Mehboob and Raj Kapoor. The first film for which he directed music was 27 Down directed by Avatar Kaul followed by Silsila, Faasle, Lamhe, Chandni etc. "While we were composing music for Silsila, Amitabh insisted on singing. I told him clearly that I would accept his singing only if he got his father to write the song. Finally, Amitabh sang 'Rang barse' and impressed by that, we made him sing 'Neela aasman' as well. After Darr, Sahibaan and Parampara, I felt the need to devote more time to classical music," he offers. 

It is not about the money, he says. Animals survive and eat even without money. "I belong to a very poor family. When there was no food at home, I used to go and play flute at the temple and the pujaari used to give me Prasad which used to be my dinner," he reminisces. It is about surrendering before your calling in life with bhakti. (More excerpts from this interview will be covered in future articles of this column).

While Pundit ji took leave for the day, the sparkle of his solitaire hit my eye, as though conveying something subtle. As he talked of the highs and troughs of his career, of his life itself, I wondered if there's anything that crucially differentiates celebrities from the rest of us. He radiated a simplicity, a universality and quite reassuringly, even a banality - which so defines the everyday life of everyday people. The more I talked to him, the more obvious it became that the people society secludes by glorification and distance are in fact made of the same stuff. They're born with the same two-four hours to a day and seven days to a week every year. As he sat there talking of the stages of his life, its shocks and surprises, I was tempted to underline my belief that celebrities start out like you and me. 

Get Current Updates on India News, Weather Today, Latest News at Hindustan Times.
See More
Get Current Updates on India News, Weather Today, Latest News at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Monday, February 17, 2025
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On