No music is bad if justice is done to the symphonic pieces: Tabla maestro Tanmoy Bose

By Somrita Ghosh

New Delhi, March 22 (IANS) Music is all about rhythmic collaboration, and no music -- even fusion -- is bad if justice is done to the symphonic pieces by the performers, Tabla maestro Tanmoy Bose believes.

"Good music in any form will serve its purpose of preserving our heritage. Fusion music is a melange of sounds from different genres as it exposes the audience to different forms of music which they are not aware of," Bose told IANS in an interview.

Bose, who lives in Kolkata, was recently in the national capital to perform at the HCL Concerts.

Stressing on the fact that every kind of music has its own uniqueness, Bose said that one needs to develop a sense of using alphabets before loving and digging into fusion music.

"A musician should master the fundamental form of music he or she is working with," he stressed.

A practitioner of Farrukhabad Gharana, Bose began his journey in the world of classical music under the shadow of his Guru Pandit Maharaj Banerjee from whom he learned vocal music. Tidbits of harmonium were taught to him by Pandit Mantu Banerjee.

Later, under the guidance of Pandit Kanai Dutta, Bose began his serious training of classical music in the traditional "Guru Shishya Parampara".

"Guru-Shishya tradition holds a lot of significance and contributes to teaching the ultimate ethics of the bond. You will learn to surrender self to your guru. Tehzeeb-e-Mausiki is a beautiful term," the 53-year-old musician said.

Following the untimely death of his guru, Bose became a Gandabandh Shagrid of Pt Shankar Ghosh to whom he paid a tribute recently at the musical event.

"Gandabandh is a traditional ceremony in which guru gives his blessings to his students by tying a thread and accepting him to be his representative," he explained.

Sharing some of his memorable moments, Bose recollected an incident which, for him, will always be cherished.

"It was when guruji tied the sacred thread on my hand legitimising me to be the representative of his style," he remembered. Though he belongs to Farukkabad Gharana, he prefers to call it "Kolkata Gharana" because of his guruji's own style and compositions, which has amalgamated and evolved in the Gharana for so many years.

"A musician's is a lifelong journey to grow and learn. Whatever little I have learnt under guruji, I feel there is a lot more to be done and to achieve the command which is required to contribute to take his style forward. I sincerely wish I could achieve what is expected out of me, which eventually time will tell," he noted.

Bose has been a globetrotter, taking classical music and its fusion to the world. He has shared the stage along with Ustad Munawar Ali Khan, Pandit V.G. Jog, Ustad Imrat Khan, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar with whom he has got a special bond.

"Playing with Pandit Ravi Shankar was actually a dream come true. In my growing years, I attended several of his performances and concerts accompanied by legendary tabla masters. I have been extremely lucky to have received his love and blessings throughout the 10 years with him," Bose said.

He, however, expressed disappointment at the younger generation being detached from any form of classical learning mostly because of the availability of "too many options" in terms of entertainment.

(Somrita Ghosh can be contacted at somrita.g@ians.in)

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