Strings Attached

Pandit Debi Chatterjee hopes to establish his gharana all over the world

He is still waiting for someone’s music to move him to tears. “I want to cry after hearing the notes or vocals,’’ sitarist Pandit Debi Chatterjee talks about one his greatest wishes. Here for a performance at the Pracheen Kala Kendra,his face lights up as he explains the nuances and intricacies of his first and last love,music,in fact,sitar to be precise. “You know,sitar is female and sarod is male and the jugalbandi is simply mind-blowing.’’ For someone who infuses life into the raga with every stroke,the instrument he says,can touch every heart. “One stroke can create as many as 24 different swars,’’ Pandit Debi says the extra low strings is a speciality of his gharana Senia Maihar Gharana,which he wants to establish all over the world. To establish a mood,without a rush is Pandit Debi’s style and dhrupad is what he always begins with and once the raag has life,he moves on to khayal,tappa,thumri. Having received extensive training from legendary sitar maestro Pandit Nikhil Banerjee for 20 years and then Annapurna Devi,the musician recalls how he played the taanpura with his guru Pandit Nikhil for as many as 16 years,an experience he can’t describe in words. “For us,our Gurus,their voice and taleem was everything. Training was tough and we were devoted,with most days the riyaaz lasting up to 12 hours. At the end of the day,we felt drunk,but enriched,’’ Pandit Debi feels that music students today have the privilege of listening to genres of music and masters from the past,something that technology has made possible. “We didn’t even have tape recorders then. But the level of seriousness is not the same now. In fact,my students abroad are more dedicated,’’ Pandit Debi has disciples all over the world and has also authored Sitar Sekal Ekal (Sitar’s Past and Present) which presents the history of sitar and its transformation over the years. The ganda bandhan disciple of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan has done background scores for movies like Aradhana,Kati Patang,Amar Prem,“it was a privilege to work with directors and musicians like S D Burman and R D Burman,but now things are different,’’ Pandit Debi continues his journey,for he feels a musician can never be satisfied with his accomplishments.