A tête-à-tête With Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya

Q. Can you put into words your own Personality and Persona?

Well I have always been an ardent student of Indian Raga music and the student in me is dominant. The many great maestros of Indian music inspire me with their music and the more you hear, the more you learn. Their styles, compositions and the infinite possibilities that they present in their music inspire us to delve deeper into the subject of music. This challenge to keep learning, updating and adapting to the times is my persona.

A persona  develops or shapes up depending the upbringing of the person and the reason behind being alive. Perhaps this story will help your readers to know about me.

(I was born in early 60s’ when A Hawaiian guitar used to be a pleasurable toy added on in the household, since the popularity of the instrument from the time of the Second World War. Hearing a six string Hawaiian guitar and Tagore music or contemporary film music glided  on first two strings- Seeing the unacceptability of raga music performance on it was in the land and horizon I belonged to. It’s the story of  how I’ve been able to steer the wheels and put indian slide guitar in National international and world music.. Finding the thread of truth and logic within the art of Raga, finding the right soundscape for my expression through music finding right twenty techniques unexplored before, finding ten tunings identified to modality of Raga, finding a new structure, new finger picking, new wrist play – new shape , new structure and new everything to restore my countries tradition in a Guitar how it should be , I did all these with ZERO  reference ahead of me.. ..  – an inspired unstoppable Run and Rise is my persona.)

Q. You are one of the leading Indian classical musicians now. Did you program things this way?

Mortals are programmed by the Almighty. I just do my designated job. Call it the run and execution of the Service to Raga through software inbuilt within me by the Almighty 😀 ! When you do a unique work given by superpower you don’t program-  you do a good job and recognition, pay, rewards come for you as a surprise as destined but unknown.

Q. There are many changes occurring in India. Yes, indeed. Parampara, in Sanskrit, means tradition, which undergoes uninterrupted change. In this context, what do you think, where does Indian Classical music stand?

Yes change symbolizes a dynamic society. Positivity in the approach should withstand all the onslaughts of time. Indian classical music is evolving as it has been since ages. It’s a natural process. So
many ragas are only found in books, some only in records and few with some masters of today or serious students. Evolution and metamorphosis is the actual Parampara. Raga music has survived thousands of years in this planet and will do so forever. The study of Indian Classical music is one of the best disciplines for enriching the mind.

 Q. How would you describe your music? According to you which part of your rendition makes you different from others? Does your style bear any innovation?

My music is universal. My rendition is best judged by my listeners. After over fifty years of  playing the guitar – I’ve realized how little we know, and how little we are without the blessings of God.

The modifications and innovation-
I made to the instruments are adding the Chikari plucking strings on the treble side of the indian slide guitar , putting side resonating taraf, adding supporting strings in the rear or bass side in 1978, when I was just the age of 15. There were no indian slide guitars or classical guitar makers known in 1978. In 70s and 80s Every single effort of a slide guitarist in india was to find a sitar or Sarod maker and change the string arrangement of a Hawaiian guitar or a Western jazz guitar. Where as I’ve designed 19 guitars. Four of them are Chaturangui Gandharvi Devangui and Anandi.
For my music,  my passion,my thirst and longing driven me to upgrade the guitar music so far the raga was concerned,  I consciously brought all these changes in late 70s and taught more than four generations in Calcutta, Bengal, India and the world. My first generation students are now in 80-90 years age category. Many of them are A grade guitarists of Prasar Bharati.

Q. Will you throw light on your Guru’s method of teaching? Is it different from yours? If yes-How? If no- why?

All my Gurus insisted on imbibing the tradition yet nurturing my originality. I always encourage that method for my students as that makes variety of performers world over playing Raga music. This is the only way that keeps our music alive. That element of variety gave rise to so many different Gharanas in India. We must understand and acknowledge this fact. My method of teaching has a blend of my Gurus as well Psyco-somatic/ Mascular / technical applications, on the basis of a decade of experiments  with a different Applied Grade System ( AGS)

Q. Do you think that there are separate methods or techniques in dance for man and woman?

That I think should be the discretion of the performer or choreographer going by the Rasa theory. Dance as we see as part of Sangeet.. Has its own expression of Muscularity and femininity.

Q. Does your heart still miss a beat before concerts after so many years of experience?

It doesn’t miss a beat actually. The responsibility transports me to a higher level perhaps where the rhythms of sound match with the heartbeat.

Q. How do you rate your success?

I’m a slave of what I do ; it’s my Religious work am happy with what I do and have achieved till today. Nothing would have been possible without the blessings of my parents, teachers and well
wishers. Today every slide guitarist try to adopt three finger picking or front Chikari, they know who brought Hawaiian guitar to india, the terms Hindustani slide guitar are used frequently today- give me loads of contentment!

Q. There is a popular opinion that the Younger generation isn’t much interested in classical music- dance forms. Do you agree? How would you justify your opinion?

Popular opinion is actually not based on any popularity survey. It is an assumption. There are many ways classical music reaches the insides of young generations. That is not taken into account.
Please do not go by stereo-type opinions and undermine today’s Younger generation.

Q. Can you share your most memorable onstage moment?

Playing with Late Violin legend Pandit VG Jog and Ustad Zakir Hussain a trio in Cincinnati Ohio in 1993, where the Late Maestro was inspiring me every time I took a solo.

Performing in Mantreux Jazz festival on Miles Davis stage with John McLaughlin Late U.Shriniwas Ji and Ustad Zakir Hussain- inspiration of the maestros on stage lifted my music to touch the lotus feet in both those concerts.

Q.What is your favourite Idea of Holidaying? Do you think it is necessary to have leisure-voids while working?

Any quiet scenic place amidst nature quenches my need for refreshments.

Q.If you were given the chance to live again, how would you want it to be?

I cannot imagine living my life any differently than I have, for every experience has made me who I am. However, I wish that I will keep working for the cause of music. I wish to help budding talents grow in music and influence more individuals so the love of music grows in multitudes and surpasses the evils of terror.