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In Chandigarh, Subhash Chander Ghosh's name is synonymous with the guitar'. An elegant, carefully thought out ensemble, combined with a ...

In Chandigarh, Subhash Chander Ghosh’s name is synonymous with the guitar’. An elegant, carefully thought out ensemble, combined with a highly stylized hairstyle, results in his arresting appearance. It was his burning desire to be different, which resulted in this post-graduate in science to specialize in the Indian classical guitar. A performer and a promoter of Indian classical music, Ghosh has taken his training from great traditional masters of music. Having enjoyed his training in different avenues in music, he finally decided to pick up guitar and stick to it. The initial training of the guitar was under Deepak Ray of Asansol and in the classical guitar from Pandit Barun Kumar Pal, Calcutta. But since 1984, he has been training extensively under the renowned sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Sahib.

Though Ghosh has been learning various instruments like the tabla, sitar, sarod, flute, and also received training in vocal music, he specialized in the Hawaiian guitar, which he feels is ideally suited to the classical genre as compared to the Spanish guitar which does not have the meend or the gliding notes; without the meend, there is no continuity in music. In the Spanish guitar, the use of fingertips breaks the continuity.

In the playing of the guitar, Ghosh adheres completely to his guru’s style. "Today people develop their own style to gain recognition. Many people play the guitar like the sitar, but I play it like the sarod in the gayaki ang.

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The majority of the people concentrate on the baaz or the instrument itself, stressing more on the technique, concentrating on tihais, sapaat taan and the jhatka taan." Ghosh waxes eloquent on the in-built advantages of the Hawaiian guitar. The range of the Hawaiian guitar spreads over three octaves; it has a deep tonal quality which is the beauty of the instrument.

Ghosh has made certain innovations and improvised upon the instrument. He has also come up with commendable compositions. "In the sarod, the whole raag is played in one standard tune, although the guitar needs a lot of tuning and changes. I try to play all the raagas in one standard tune. I try to follow this concept religiously for it is different. Though based on the principles of my guru, it gives me an identity of my own, my own contribution to music", he says. Ghosh has also developed the Spanish guitar for classical music, the fretless guitar.

Chandigarh has been quite fruitful for Ghosh. He has done various performances and a couple of independent compositions, which he has presented in the city. To celebrate 50 years of India’s independence, he directed and composed an orchestra called Symphony’ (1997). The theme centered around "East meets West." In 1999, he composed and directed a musical group orchestra which is based on an evolutionary theme of music from the very beginning till date, called A Journey of Music’.

For the last 14 years Ghosh has made Chandigarh his home. Whenever Ustad Amjad ali Khan is free to give him lessons he goes to Delhi, to finetune his playing. At this level Ghosh does not need regular classes or a particular space to be taught. "In a matter of a couple of hours, be it travelling in a car or sitting in Ustadji’s music room, I get enough inputs which keep me going for the next six months", says Ghosh.

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Ghosh is working quietly in a seminal manner developing his own sensibility through his passion for the Indian classical guitar. Though the response in Chandigarh has improved over the years, Ghosh still needs the right platform to present his vast potential, which to a large extent has not been fully exploited in the city beautiful.