The complete view
MADHAVI RAMKUMAR
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Chitraveena maestro Ravikiran feels that the real health of a musical system is reflected not by the artistes at the very top, but by those at the middle level
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We do not have to define as much as we have to refine our methods
Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.
CANDID Ravikiran: ‘Teaching has become cliched and mechanical, though there are exceptions’
Refreshingly unassuming and down to earth, chitraveena maestro N. Ravikiran appears unaffected by the fame and acclaim that has been an integral part of his life from early childhood. His multifarious accomplishments as performer par excellence, composer, researcher, author and teacher are truly remarkable. In Bangalore, for a concert organised by Vivus Group last week, he took time off to answer a few questions about his passions and preferences.
Starting off as a vocalist, Ravikiran’s name has since become synonymous with the chitraveena. “The instrument has been with my family for the past few generations,” he says. “I was exposed to it from birth. I started playing seriously on my own when I was around five, and whatever I could sing I could play almost naturally. I started giving concerts when I was about eleven or twelve.” How essential is it for a vocalist to learn an instrument and vice versa? Ravikiran thinks it is fantastically beneficial, because an instrumentalist can base his musical phrasings on the vocal style without resorting to mere swara jugglery. A vocalist can also intellectualise and visualise the music with crystal clarity if he has the backing of a good instrument. The chitraveena can bring out the best of both worlds and the vocal style can also be brought into it because of its fretless nature. Melharmony, says Ravikiran, is a concept that he came up with to resolve a problem that has nagged him from childhood – the appreciation of non-Indians for Indian music is born more out of a fascination for something exotic than for the core values that it represents. This bias works for Indian listeners of western music too. “I wanted to try this new approach using chords and harmony, along with the melody rules of Indian music. The opportunity came when I was working with the BBC Philharmonic in 2000. It was well received by the public and the critics and since then I have composed several Melharmonic pieces, some of which were performed by a 20-member orchestra in Toronto this year. My aim was to start with simpler ragas which could be palatable to the western audiences, and I have even tried out ragas like Nattai, Kapi and Janaranjani. Some other musicians, including non-Indian groups, are also working with the concept.”
One of Ravikiran’s pet projects has been the research and publication of the works of Oothukadu Venkata Kavi, one of the precursors of the musical trinity of Carnatic music. The dazzling brilliance and beauty of the compositions and the perfect blend of scholarship, inspiration and imagination, bring a new perspective to the historical study of Carnatic music, suggesting the high state of musical evolution even in the late 1600s and early 1700s, asserts Ravikiran, who has also authored the books on Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi’s life, contributions, navavaranams and saptaratnas of Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi. As a teacher, he is emphatic that the real health of a musical system is reflected not by the artistes at the very top, but by those at the middle level. “I personally think that the average middle-level artiste in western classical music is far superior to our middle level artistes with respect to adherence to the basics – melody, rhythm, note, intonation and so on, and that is also partially true for Hindustani music. Honestly, teaching has become clichéd and mechanical, though there are exceptions. We do not have to define as much as we have to refine our methods, so that quality is assured.” On the role of technology as a teaching aid, he is of the view that while some traditional methods can never be substituted, one would not be serving the cause of music by not using technology at all.
Music therapy is big now. Ravikiran feels that India can make substantial contributions to the field of music therapy, provided the research is de-linked from subjectivity and sentiment. My idea is that it should not just be music therapy but musopathy like allopathy or homeopathy. “I have actually worked out some three or four yardsticks which I have discussed with a few scientists and they agree that my fundamentals are fine. But it needs a lot of funding, energy and time.”
Ravikiran observes that while there is a wider knowledge base today, what we may have lost is the single-minded focus of the senior generation. Ultimately, every generation may gain certain values and lose certain wisdom, and that is the way human history has always been. Most significant, perhaps, are his remarks at the end of the interview, when asked about child prodigies and preservation and development of their talents.
Careless remarks, he feels, can either make the child complacent or could pressurise the kid. Either way, it is a negative impact. “My father used to tell me that being a prodigy is not the goal - you have to be a good musician, set a high standard and endure for at least thirty to forty years at the top.”
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