The Hindu : New Delhi News : Upholding a family legacy, and also going beyond it

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 09, 2007
ePaper

New Delhi

New Delhi

Upholding a family legacy, and also going beyond it

Music may be in her blood, but Meeta Pandit, the sixth generation musician from the Gwalior gharana, believes that it can be mastered only through "riyaaz", says P. Anima

"Just because music is in one's blood, one cannot consider it a property and take it for granted," says young classical musician Meeta Pandit.

Meeta never took her enviable lineage for granted and that probably explains why she in her early 30s has already managed to make a mark for herself in the world of classical music.

"Music is a habit. There is no other way to master it but through "riyaaz". You also have to be stubborn enough to carry on," says the sixth generation musician from the legendary Pandit family of the Gwalior gharana.

Music for Meeta has been a passion. "I eat, drink and sleep music. If children played with toys, as a kid I played with the "tanpura" and the "tabla"," recalls Meeta.

She can still remember the nervousness she felt while performing for the first time as a nine-year-old in Bhopal. "I was immensely nervous as my grandfather, legendary musician Krishnarao Shankar Pandit, was in the audience," remembers Meeta, who is incidentally the first woman musician in the family.

Meeta has been given her lessons in music by her grandfather and also her father, L.K. Pandit, another well-known exponent of Hindustani music.

But music remained merely a passion for Meeta for a long while.

It was a tragic event in the family that ultimately saw her turning to music full-time. Meeta lost her brother Tushar Pandit, hailed as the torchbearer of the family legacy, in a road accident in 1994.

"That was the turning point," recounts Meeta, who was felicitated for her contribution to classical music by the Young Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Ladies Organisation in the Capital this past week.

Music from then on became a profession for the final year B.Com student of Lady Shri Ram College, who was pursuing dreams of an MBA degree.

Music has opened to her a world of opportunities and great many admirers including the well-known author and columnist Khushwant Singh. The famous writer after listening to her flawless rendering on television once predicted that Meeta would be soon be "reckoned among the best singers of classical Hindustani Music in the country".

Avid followers of Hindustani music not only acknowledge the maturity in her voice, but also her versatility and mastery be it her "bhajan", "thumri" or "tappa."

Music has taken this young artiste around the world. Meeta describes her experience as the Cultural Ambassador of India to Pakistan during the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation Summit in Islamabad in 2004 as "amazing".

She was also invited by the Government of France to be the Artiste in Residence in 2003. Meeta has also lent her voice to the Pakistani movie "Khamosh Pani."

The scion of the Gwalior gharana has already brought out two music albums "Footsteps" and "Tansen." But Meeta says she is "very concerned" about the way youngsters of today keep a safe distance from classical music. The singer feels the gap exists as most youngsters are in awe of the classical genre.

"It is important to de-mystify classical music," she explains. Meeta believes her programme "Sunehere Pal" in "Subaha Savera" on television was an attempt towards bridging the gap.

"I took popular Hindi movie songs like "Madhuban mein radhika naache re" and explained the raga on which the song is based and that interested a lot of people. I tried to make it simple," says Meeta.

Whether she will be successful in luring youngsters to classical music, only time will tell. But for Meeta, music will remain her life breath. "I will sing till my last breath," she says.

Apart from carrying forward the family legacy, the vocalist also wants to give the quintessential Meeta touch to her music.

"It is important to be original and creative. To give a touch of the contemporary to the traditional art," she says.

The young singer is now looking forward to her trip to France where besides conducting workshops, she will also get to perform especially for a group of professional and amateur singers.

"It is very different when you are performing for an audience and when you are performing before trained people," she says. Excited as she is about the prospect, Meeta again asserts the importance of "riyaaz."

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi