Musical Nirvana

In the city for a series of concerts organised by SPICMACAY,in collaboration with The Indian Express,her performance is a part of Sangeet Natak Akademi’s festival — Aayee Basant Bahar.

Dressed in a simple cotton saree,Deshpande,60,settles down for a chat at the UT guest house a little before her concert at Bal Bhawan in Sector 23; the renowned vocalist is completely at ease. “I agree that classical music is difficult and serious,but I don’t understand why is the subject glorified so much and turned into something unattainable. Why not treat it as any other musical form?” asks Deshpande who gave up a career in science to pursue music.

“This was the time when I had to choose between the two. Till then,music had not been given that much space,for I was always concentrating on finishing my course in biochemistry. But eventually,in 1990,I parted ways with science. I just felt like walking the path I had chosen,” says Deshpande who did her doctorate in biochemistry.

Deshpande,who penned her own bandishes in two volumes of Raag Rachananjali,a few years back,learnt under the tutelage of her mother Manik Bhide,who instilled in her the intricacies of Alladiya Khan’s Jaipur Atrauli gharana known for its spiral taans and jod ragas. “Classical music requires serious initiation,but I never look at it from the point of view of money or name or fame. It is all about enjoying every moment of the learning process,” she says.

And this is what Deshpande shares with everyone,especially children. The vocalist,who has many students across the world,feels that it’s the easiest to reach out to children. “Kids never come with a baggage or pre-conceived notions. It’s we who label music and set up these stereotypical notions of classical music being difficult. Music is really either good music or bad music,” says Deshpande.

When she addresses her young audience,later in the evening,Deshpande tells them to close their eyes,to visualise a painting in progress and go with the flow. “I interact,talk and explain things to them. For that’s the only way we,as classical musicians,will ever reach out and allow them to explore the world of classical music,” she says.

Over the years,her indulgence in classical music has given her a new voice,a new expression,and Deshpande proudly claims it ‘as her own’. For now,she is busy touring the country for a slew of concerts and making classical music easier and more understandable for a younger audience. We are listening.