INDIAN CLASSICAL music is eternal and cannot be compared to western music, noted classical singer Pandit Goswami Dr Gokulotsavji Maharaj feels.
“When we listen to western music, we may feel tranquil for a short while, but it can never attain the heights of bliss,” he told Hindustan Times.
“The rhythm of western music is fast enough to make human beings tense at times and even increase palpitation,” he said. Even if a person is in a far-off country such as France, he can still go into trans(samadhi) if he practises classical music. In Indian classical music the wave appears and disappears. It does not return. The freshness is permanent.
“Indian classical music brings in peace and happiness. Other kinds of music may bring peace but there is also a kind of emptiness. In Indian classical music even the vacuum is laced with bliss, ” he feels.
The eminent singer will be honoured with the Abhinav Sangeet Ratna Award by the Abhinav Kala Parishad at Ravindra Bhawan at 7 PM on Wednesday.
Gokulotsavji said that the importance of classical music had increased over the years. “While in the past there were just a few classical singers, today there are many more. Even the number of institutes where classical music is taught has increased”, he said. Gokulotsavji is a descendant of Jagadguru Srimad Vallabhacharya. He is the son of late Acharya Goswami
Gridharlalji Maharaj, who was an eminent musician himself. Under the pen-name of ‘Madhur Piya’, he has composed around 5000 ‘Bandishs’ (poems that are sung).
Gokulotsavji said that the importance of classical music had increased over the years. “While in the past there were just a few classical singers, today there are many more. Even the number of institutes where classical music is taught has increased”, he said. Gokulotsavji is a descendant of Jagadguru Srimad Vallabhacharya. He is the son of late Acharya Goswami
Gridharlalji Maharaj, who was an eminent musician himself. Under the pen-name of ‘Madhur Piya’, he has composed around 5000 ‘Bandishs’ (poems that are sung).
“Music should reveal the joys and pathos of life. The composer should be able to create an amicable bond with the audience,” he feels.
Dr Rajni Nagar has written her PhD thesis on the life and achievements of Pandit Gokuotsavji Maharaj at Ujjain University. On the Guru-Shishya parampara, he said, “The guru should pass on his experiences to his disciples. This system is still very strong-rooted in our society.”
“Music is an asset for every individual from which he can get everything and to which he can give everything”, he concluded.