You are credited for the classical status of santoor.
My father and guru bestowed the instrument to me, convinced of its potential.
Santoor has also gained international recognition.
By the mid-1960s santoor got recognition in Indian classical music and after Ustad Alla Rakha sahab played tabla with me in the US it went international.
With fusion music’s increasing popularity classical music is increasingly becoming a niche interest.
Fusion music may be popular but classical music has also spread all over the globe.
You’ve shared the stage with Ustad Zakir Hussain too.
I have a long association with Zakir Hussain. He played the first concert with me probably when he was a teenager.
Did you want to do anything other than music?
I could never think of doing anything else.
Was it difficult to maintain the bar set by your father?
I can't match the knowledge my father had, but the instrument he taught me was new and my life’s effort has been to establish it.
Your father was your guru, and you are your son’s guru. What has changed?
I started my training early in my childhood; with Rahul I began when he was 13 and faced the problem of the changing father-son relationship to a teacher-disciple one.
Your inspiration?
My father, nature, any genre of music and spirituality.
Which has been your best performance?
That is a difficult one, I can’t say.
Other hobbies?
I enjoy spending time with family and friends, having good food and a good laugh.
By Nandita Menon and Stuti Agarwal
