07 July,2010 09:30 AM IST | | Urmimala Banerjee
Shashi Vyas makes for an unlikely chartered accountant. But the numbers do seem to have helped him, if his success with Pancham Nishad Creative, a firm that organises Indian classical music programmes across the globe, is anything to go by. Vyas recounts his experiences with all the doyens of classical music with whom he
has worked before:
Pandit Ravishankar
Pandit Ravishankar's music is beautiful, intelligent yet lucid enough for a layperson. He is also a very meticulous musician. He used to say with pride, "My shows are organised but my music is extempore." I remember my wife and I spent seven hours with him and his wife Sukanya just discussing music when we visited his San Diego home some years back. He not only greeted us at the gate but also accompanied us to our hotel suite.
Kumar Gandharva
He's one of the pioneers of thematic music in India with Geet Vasant, Geet Hemant and Geet Varsha. He adhered to tradition but did away with the rituals. He truly understood the music of silence. I remember visiting him in Dewas, MP long back. He received me and my friend Mukesh Lotia warmly and even organised a small tour and lunch for us. Once, someone told him about a particular musician who played one raag for two hours at a stretch. And he just commented that in music time isn't a factor but impact is.
Ustad Zakir Hussain
He is a sheer genius. He gave up doing corporate and private shows years ago to promote people who work for Indian classical music. I remember once asking him, "Did Abbaji (Ustad Allah Rakha) give you more knowledge than rest of his students?" Zakir retorted, "A guru never discriminates between disciples. Guru seekhata nahi hai, shishya seekhta hai. Always make an effort to be a student of your art than the master." On another occasion in Satara, he tried to create the sound of the shankh (conch) on the tabla in a live concert. It sounded like a thousand temple bells ringing. Ironically, Zakir always records his shows. But this event, his assistant forgot. Zakir later said, "Maybe God didn't want anyone to listen to this again."
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi
He is a powerhouse of music. I remember doing the Rangvani concert with him, where he performed Natyasangeet. The tickets for the show were sold in 90 minutes. There were huge crowds outside Rhythm House and Shanmukhananda. Whatever Panditji says is through his music. He has immense respect for his audience and considers their requests, even if it is for five minutes.
