Music was not a genetic bequest for Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. His father, a wrestler of international repute, wanted him to enter the world of muscle combat. But his interest lay in the much softer and mellower notes of life.
At the age of 15, Chaurasia embraced music for life. When asked how difficult it was to switch from the game of muscle to the play of chords, he says, “It was difficult, but at the same time, fascinating too.”
At the age of 15, Chaurasia embraced music for life. When asked how difficult it was to switch from the game of muscle to the play of chords, he says, “It was difficult, but at the same time, fascinating too.”
Panditji began learning classical vocal from Pandit Raja Ram of Benares. The journey had just begun. His destination still looked hazy and distant. It was after attending a flute recital by Pandit Bholanath that the foundation for a flute legend was laid. Call it love at first sight or at first sound, the flute became his soul, his essence of life. His flute knows the delightful art of conveying delicate levels of feelings through subtle manipulation of tones and intervals.
Avoiding all pinpoints he says, “I treat my each concert like first and last, so each one of them is memorable to me.” For audiences, this is definitely the case. “Music is my prayer and each auditorium a temple,” he adds. Pandit Chaurasia is a musician who is credited for developing a style that is respectful of tradition, yet full of novelty. Touching the chords of every heart, even his critics remain in awe of his style.
Avoiding all pinpoints he says, “I treat my each concert like first and last, so each one of them is memorable to me.” For audiences, this is definitely the case. “Music is my prayer and each auditorium a temple,” he adds. Pandit Chaurasia is a musician who is credited for developing a style that is respectful of tradition, yet full of novelty. Touching the chords of every heart, even his critics remain in awe of his style.
Cover story for the American magazine DeshVidesh (August 2010). Desh-Videsh magazine, is widely circulated in the southeast US. Readers hail from Florida, Georgia, Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The magazine reaches a varied audience of over 50,000 Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshi, and Indo-Caribbeans.
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