The soft breeze of Vrindavan along with the mellifluous echo of the flute transports you to some part of heaven in his recitals. The flute identified with Lord Krishna is an inseparable part of him and his charm as well as his music’s. Probably that one person who holds the reigns back on earth achieving the perfection is none other than

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. He will be performing a bansuri recital this evening at the National Centre for Performing Arts. What strikes the most about this legendary figure is his infectious enthusiasm, which is alive and real and strikes a connection instantly.
Not many know that Pandit Chaurasia wasn’t born into a family of musicians. Probably he would have ended up being a wrestler as his father was a one. Had he not taken the step forward to pursue music, the world would have been bereft of this musical genius. Pandit Chaurasia had an inclination towards music since early childhood. “I was extremely scared of my father and would visit the akhada (wrestling ground) only to please him and would pursue lessons in music,” says Panditji, who never had it easy in life. He believes that then it was a period where musicians weren’t honoured enough and there was hardly any scope to make a living out of pursuing music. “I don’t blame my father for being strict and instructing me to take up wrestling as the financial conditions that prevailed then weren’t favourable enough for me to take up music,” says Panditji, who lost his mother at the tender age of five.
“I had that hunger for music and wanted to overcome any odds to learn, pursue and contribute something to it,” says Panditji. He started off as a vocalist under the tutelage of Pandit Raja Ram of Benares. A flute recital by Pandit Bholanath made him want to study the instrument and he shifted his focus on learning flute from him. After a job at All India Radio at Cuttack in Orissa at the age of 19 and then getting transferred to Mumbai, Panditji began taking lessons from Shrimati Annupurna Devi, a famous musician in her own right and the daughter of Ustad Allauddin Khan. She was Pandit Ravi Shankar’s first wife and is known to be reclusive. “She is a very kind lady and different because she would open up to only a few people. I have been fortunate enough to take music lessons from her and I still do. I still visit her and she reprimands me at times for not having done enough of riyaz . She filled the space of a mother-like figure that I needed in my life,” says Panditji, who revers the Guru-Shishya parampara and believes that no one is above your Guru.
He has opened two Gurukuls in the country of which one is located in Mumbai and the other was recently inaugurated in Bhubaneshwar in Orissa. “It is my dream to see people all over the world taking to the flute. And students from all over the world come here at present. The only thing they need to abstain from is alcohol, non-vegetarian food as they come home to Lord Krishna. It is a temple of learning,” says Panditji. He observes that over the years the dynamics of classical music in the country have changed and it is taken seriously now. “With a lot of sponsorships from the private sector and the government initiatives to promote classical music, people are taking it up professionally and I am happy about that,” says Panditji. He has also composed a lot of music for Bollywood in superhit films like Silsila, Lamhe, Chandini and many more. “I did that for pure fun — something like hobby and enjoyed striking a balance between classical and film music,” says Panditji.
Reality shows is something he is particularly wary of as music is taking an entirely different route there.
“Till a certain point of time, it is alright as long as it encourages you and gives you a platform. But all I would say to the young musicians is get their fundamentals right with proper training and learning. Without perfection it will be difficult to sustain in the long run,” says Panditji. He believes that a true artist will always be honest to his art and will overcome all odds that come his way.
“Nothing can deter a true musician and if he has the will to learn and achieve the best, he will do so even if that means a lot of struggle. It is the hallmark of a true artist and even at this point of time I want to keep teaching, composing and spreading the joy of flute to as many people as I can in this lifetime,” say s Panditji with the touch of humility and modesty.