‘Hariharanji and I interact on various levels'

‘Hariharanji and I interact on various levels'

A master artist like Ustad Zakir Hussain can capture his audience’s attention within a short period of time. Similarly, in a short interview of 30 minutes, the tabla maestro speaks fluently on a range of issues, reflecting on the creative challenges, his camaraderie with his contemporaries, respect for his seniors and taking criticism in the right spirit.

Zakirji and singer Hariharanji will be performing in the city on Saturday evening in ‘Hazir - An evening of ghazals’. Sakal is the media sponsor for the event presented by Sa Va Ni Sursangeet. 

After a period of 25 years, the duo is performing in Pune. Talking about the evening, Zakirji says, “I have never played at a ghazal concert in Pune. So this is the one and only time where, not only the lovers of ghazal, but also the lovers of tabla and students of classical and semi-classical music, will see me perform to ghazal. It’s more than a rarity for me. I do it with Hariharanji because he is a very dear friend.”

Excerpts from the conversation:

In your long collaboration with Hariharanji, what has changed and what has stayed constant?
- The creative process has changed, which is a very satisfying thing; because if you collaborate with a musician and if you do the same thing over and over again, it becomes monotonous. 

It is rare to work with musicians who perform or get together, interact and play. There are some elements which create an interesting conversation and that makes our getting together exciting. So the constant factor between Hariharanji and I is the element of surprise, the element of fresh, creative process. 

Another factor is, here is a person of South Indian origin, he grew up listening to and speaking a different language, but sings ghazals in another language. To be able to express and convey the emotions that the words (of ghazals) are offering, to do that through the swaras, he has to be able to feel them himself. Secondly, he has to understand the depth of those words and project them to the audience, as if he is actually providing a visual explanation of the words. That is something very unique about Hariharanji. 

He understands the nuances of the emotions and conveys them through notes, swaras, which is a very important aspect of classical music. He is able to explain the nine rasas through swaras and also through the melody. Having that knowledge makes Hariharanji a very special ghazal singer.

There is always an element of surprise when he sings koi gila, koi shikwa. He will sing it one way today, and then will find a different way to express shikwa or gila another day. When that happens, I have to be prepared to follow his chain of thought rhythmically and have to be able to help express that. So that’s a challenge and special factor about playing with Hariharanji.

How does a collaboration evolve? Do the sensibilities of the two artists also need to match?
- That’s exactly what I was trying to say. Hariharanji is a great friend. Our relationship goes beyond meeting on the stage and playing for the concert. It’s a collective of all our experiences together — dining together, or attending our kids’ weddings, or getting together on a Valentine’s Day and singing beautiful, romantic ghazals in his home... 

We interact on various levels and when that happens, we understand each other a little more, understanding each other’s temperament, each other’s life. All of this manifests in a conversation on the stage, which is not between two strangers, but between two very close friends. And, therefore our performance assumes a more deeper quality. We have been friends for more than 35 years. I have been blessed to have formed relationships with different thoughts and people; be it Hariharanji, Shiv Kumar Sharmaji or Hariprasad Chaurasiaji.
 
What is the relationship between ghazal and tabla?
- It’s the same relationship that an abhang has with tabla or santwani and tabla or thumri and tabla share, or any song and tabla have. For instance, when you listen to a Bollywood song, what attracts you first is the rhythm. When you hear the rhythm, you nod your head, and tap your feet; the melody and the words step in later. That’s the relationship between ghazal and tabla, but in more detail. 

A ghazal is not only made of words, but words set in a meter. It already has a rhythmic pattern built into it. In that sense, ghazal is very close to tabla. And, when tabla plays with ghazal, it highlights those rhythmic patterns and meter. Then, comes the expression of words. For instance, when a singer sings Door hain manzil, rahein mushkil, he expresses them in a melodic form. And, then it’s upto the tabla artist to enhance that experience. So in that sense, tabla is one of the partners in being able to create the experience, that not only the artists are feeling, but also what the audience gets to feel. 
 
What are your thoughts on present day critics and critical reviews?
- In the 1960s, there used to be music critics like Mohan Nadkarni or Raghunath Seth, who used to review concerts. They were themselves very well informed musicians and very well-educated people. Today, it’s a challenge to write well-informed articles. If that happens, then it would be great for us, because we need somebody who can present what we do, well. We are not Page 3 material, but there has to be some space in the 20-page publication, to report on what actually is Indian culture. 

Nadkarni gave me a very bad review in 1966. I was 15 or 16 then and it was hard for a teenager to be brought down. But it got me thinking. It wasn’t just a novice writing, but a very learned, knowledgeable man writing. And, therefore, what he was saying, made sense. It helped me improve my music, the way Nadkarni thought it should be. I have framed that article and it’s put up in my bedroom. It was one of the greatest learning experiences.  

We need those kind of critics today. If you just do a surface review or even a basic interview for that matter, then it’s just that. There is nothing in it for the performer or the reader. 
 
You tweet on social issues. Can you share your thoughts on artists and social responsibility?
- Why just artists? A rickshawwallah or a fruitwallah also has to be socially responsible. You just can’t ask the people who are in limelight to be socially responsible. Sachin Tendulkar may pick up a broom and clean the streets. But who is going to sweep the streets the next day? If the rest of the country is not socially responsible, then what’s the point? We have to realise that this is our country, and if we are not going to use the toilets, or keep them clean, then there’s no point in building the toilets all over the country.

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