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Cadence of melody

striking a chord Zila Khan encourages the singers to explore the nuances of ragas

The Koothambalam in Vylloppilly Samskriti Bhavan was filled with a symphony of voices as 30 enthusiastic youngsters tried to match their equally enthusiastic teacher Zila Khan.

The event was a workshop organised by Swaralaya.

“I am enjoying the experience. I was able to spot some really talented singers, both boys and girls. My attempt has been to convey the idea that music is not only a means to attain fame or money. It is an experience that has to be lived and explored,” says Zilla. And she should know. Daughter of Ustad Vilayat Khan, Zilla’s childhood was filled with music and more music.

“I would listen to Abba practising and teaching music. He would talk about his childhood, his musical experiences, about his guru and so on. It was a rich and fulfilling period,” recounts Zilla who has now made a name for herself as a singer of Hindustani and Sufi music.

Although she has an open mind when it comes to different streams of music, Zilla feels that a grounding in classical music can do wonders for a singer and musician. “But,” she continues, “one has to break free of that format and learn to improvise. That is not an easy task. It is like learning the alphabets in a particular way and then being asked to recite it from the back. One has to learn again to do that.”

Her attempt has been to encourage the participants of the workshop to explore the ragas and give free flow to their musical creativity. “I got some of them to compose snatches of lyrics and I am guiding them in the process,” she says.

Among the participants were Leela Gulati and a Swede enthusiast Agnes.

A documentary on Ustad Vilayat Khan, directed by Zila Khan, was screened for the participants. “I wanted to record his contributions to music and the changes he made to improve the sitar. That was one of the reasons for making the documentary,” she adds.

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