Music kept us alive during distressing pandemic times, say veena maestros
Aparna Banerji
Jalandhar, December 26
The fame of Mohan Veena and Satvik Veena – fashioned from Hawaiian Guitars and adapted to the mores of Indian Classical music – has created a niche of its own worldwide.
Tribute to artistes
After Covid, people were waiting for this kind of festival. Luckily, now it has started. We lost Pt Rajan Mishra, Debu Chaudhry, Pratik Chaudhary and Shubhankar Banerji. It’s a great loss for Indian classical music scenario. We are here to pay tribute to all of them. Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
After a hectic schedule from one concert to another, veena maestros Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Pt Salil Bhatt shared the experiences of their years of musical wisdom in an interview with The Tribune on the sidelines of the 147th Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan. Back in the festival after four years, they discussed their pain of the gruelling Covid pandemic, loss of kindled music colleagues, 500-year-old Bhatt family legacy and enthusiasm to return to Harivallabh.
Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt said their Harivallabh performance was a tribute to all these artistes. Notably, acclaimed Indian classical artistes Pt Jasraj, Pt Rajan Mishra, Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pt Debu Chaudhary, Pt Pratik Chaudhary among others passed
away amidst the Covid pandemic.
Pt Salil Bhatt shared that Covid was a personal loss. “We have a relationship with Pt Rajan and Sajan Mishra family, which spans three-four generations. He (Pt Rajan) was an inseparable part of our family and my father’s peer group. Pt Bhajan Sopori gave me unconditional love. I saw him go, gave shoulder to him on his last journey. It broke my spirit. They were all ‘gunijan’, ‘gurujan’ (wise men, teachers). We can’t imagine things without them. All musicians went in a line. It started with Pt Birju Maharaj (pre-Covid), then Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pt Jasraj, Pt Rajan Mishra, Pt Debu Chaudhary and Pratik Chaudhary. It was accelerated by the pandemic,” Pt Salil said.
Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt said: “After Covid, people were waiting for this kind of festival. Luckily, now it has started. We lost Pt Rajan Mishra, Debu Chaudhry, Pratik Chaudhary and Shubhankar Banerji. It’s a great loss for Indian classical music scenario. We are here to pay tribute to all of them today. Harivallabh is one-of-its-kind festival in India. Every festival such as Dover Lane in Kolkata, Saptak Festival in Ahmedabad and Tansen Samroh where we just performed is a matter of pride for us. We performed at Harivallabh several times. When I went to Canada, I was surprised to see that every house had recordings of the festival. Our host had a video of my performance at Harivallabh. Even in London, Canada and US, there is great enthusiasm regarding Harivallabh.”
On being asked did music act as a balm during the disappointing Covid times, Pt Salil Bhatt said: “I think that music kept us alive – me, my father. We are the survivors. We will be known as the greatest survivors of all times. Art and music fraternity never saw such a period. In such depression and darkness, music saved us. Me, my son and my father sat together quietly in a room and held discussions.”
Detailing the impact of the Covid pandemic on artists fraternity, Pt Salil Bhatt said, “What I learnt from this phase of life is that governments all around the world, every country, seized the fundamental rights of citizens. The constitution says you cannot ever stop a person from earning his or her livelihood. This is the single-most important pillar and strength of the Constitution. You can look back and tell me what happened in the past 3 years. People were stopped from earning their livelihoods. Why do you think so many musicians died? No one thought about that. It was because of shock and trauma. They couldn’t work and earn livelihoods. Governments just conveniently forgot music, art and culture. After all, we have little vote share. We don’t matter for them. By the time the government gave nod to conduct music concerts, it was too late. Several people had gone till then.”
Pt Salil Bhatt said: “Delhi as a cultural and musical hub is completely gone. Before the pandemic, it used to be a busy hub for classical music concerts. It’s not even 10-15 per cent of what was earlier.”
Speaking on the solution for the current scenario, Pt Salil Bhat said: “We’ve said time and again that governments should make a policy for musicians and those who work in art, music, literature and culture. Without this, society goes down to destruction. A seamless flow is not ensured unless there is music and culture in society. The kindness of our children depends on music.”
Pt Salil Bhatt is currently working on his project “Sanantan Satvik Samvaad” in which he talks about the moorings of Indian Sanatan traditions, the lineage of Lord Ram, his brother Bharat and their ancestry’s contribution to Indian music – ranging from Bharat’s son Tax who set up Taxila and Raavan’s “Shiv Tandav Strot”.
