I remember, when I sang for a programme which was later broadcast on TV, Kishoritai and her mother Mogubai, both called me and appreciated my performance. Soon after I performed at Chhabildas High School, Dadar, where Kishoritai was present. She said, ‘Mala vatla hota majhya barobar Jaipur Gharana sammpel ki kay! Pan tu vaunshachya divyasarkhi aahes. Tu aplya gharanyachi gaayki sambhaalaychi aahe.’ (I had wondered if Jaipur Gharana would come to an end with me. But you are carrying the legacy forward and you will keep the Gharana’s gaayki alive!’ I consider her words as blessing,” says Vidushi Shruti Sadolikar-Katkar.
One of the leading exponents of Jaipur Atrauli Gharana, Sadolikar-Katkar is known for her research approach towards music. The Vice-Chancellor of Bhatkhande University will be performing in Gaanasaraswati Mahotsav.
Open to influences
Sadolikar-Katkar first trained under her father Pt Sadolikar before studying under Ustad Gulubhai Jasdanwala and Ustad Ajizuddin Khan sahab. Explaining how their gayaki influenced her style, the artist says, “All my gurus were open minded people. They never wanted me to imitate anything or anyone. They would teach and explain and then let me explore the art in my own way. They very well knew that I would not stray away from the system I was born in. I made sure I grasped the good things from everyone from our Gharana. At the same time, I have imbibed and explored them in my capacity and put the knowledge to practice.”
The senior vocalist says that budding musicians should be able to imbibe the discipline of their Gharana. “Once you know the proper framework, you are given a free hand to explore the art,” she adds.
Many people from creative fields would visit Sadolikar-Katkar’s father and the artist gained a lot from the discussions and brainstorming that happened among them.
“I was brought up in a house where people from the film industry, Marathi theatre and so on would come over to visit my father. He acted in Marathi theatre and he was also a music director and thus was a guru to many. Their discussions with my father proved to be a learning experience for me,” she added.
The artist believes that stagnation is not good and without experiments, one can not find anything new. “But that doesn’t mean you should leave out your base or core,” says the vocalist.
Understand the unseen
Sadolikar-Katkar is known for her stress on aesthetics and taking a scholarly approach towards her art. She points out, “If you want to choose a career in any art form, you have to develop the aesthetics in that particular faculty. You have to devote yourself to learning the science and theory of that art, because every art has science behind it. I was taught to look at the science of it. We were taught to analyse our performances, concerts, whether it was my own or that of other artists. Observation plays an important role.”
When asked how she encourages her students to adopt this quality, she says, “I tell my students to visit exhibitions or listen to performances of other artists to understand the nuances. Be it sculptures, or watching a drama, your learning should never stop. The bottomline is to see and understand the unseen and bring out that aspect in your performances.”
As the Vice Chancellor of Bhatkhande University, Sadolikar-Katkar’s role is more administrative in nature, but here too she ensures that discipline is instilled amongst students.
“We conduct interactive workshops between the students and eminent artists. The idea is to make students aware of the reasons for their interest in pursuing performing arts, the techniques to be practised and so on. The universities or educational institutes play a major role in getting the techniques to the forefront. There’s a difference between listeners and knowledgeable listeners and it is the latter who make demands on an artist to give their best. Kansen nasel tar Tansenla kimmat nahi (If there are no good listeners, there’s no value for a good artist). Educational institutions also help in shaping good listeners,”she concludes.
