Dr Ashwini Bhide Deshpande’s music is a stunning blend of tonal richness, technical prowess and emotional depth. She is an exponent of the famous Jaipur-Atrauli khayal gayaki tradition, and a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award winner. After completing her PhD in biochemistry, she forsook a scientific career at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and became a devoted musician. Today, she is ranked among the best Hindustani classical vocalists in the world. She speaks to Uma Keni Prabhu about the mystery that is music and its myriad shades.
Q. When you are performing intense ragas replete with complex note patterns, is it a spontaneous mental process, or is it that a certain musical memory kicks in from having sung those particular ragas several times?
A. Yes, it is a spontaneous mental process coupled with a certain musical memory. If I have sung a particular raga for a long time, I have discovered the feel of that raga. I am confident of singing it well. I have made friends with it. But you cannot take your friend for granted. When you interact with your friend, you have to gauge his/her mood, how they are feeling today, what would they want to converse on. The same is the case with a raga. A raga is not only a tune but has a life of its own. One might have sung the same raga many times but you cannot take it for granted. There is no guarantee that it will unfold as splendidly as it did during one of your past fantastic performances. A performance is therefore a combination of a musical memory coupled with the spontaneous exploration of the theme that you are presenting.
Q. Can you explain this further? How is it with you?
A. For an artiste, presenting a raga is a two-way process, which happens simultaneously. On the one hand, you are going inwards, delving deeper into the raga you are singing, and simultaneously, you are presenting before the audience what you have just discovered. The artiste has to balance the two processes delicately. It is not always possible even for a top-notch performer to strike the correct balance. The day you do this, you excel. On another day you may not. While the audience may not always perceive, you know the truth.
Q. Does music have a positive impact on performance-inhibiting feelings like fear and fatigue? Does it help to manage our emotions?
A. As a general corollary I will say that music helps in overcoming negative feelings. However, there is no one fit for all as the natural inclination and interest differ from person to person. Some may like music, while others may revel in colours, dance or sculptures. I feel any form of art elevates the soul and hence should be able to help. That is why art, in any form, enjoys a high level of esteem. Of course, music is “Nada Brahma”, a concept that stresses that the whole universe was created from the energy of sound, Omkara—hence it is considered to be the fountainhead of all arts. I think the impact of music has more to do with reception than transmission. You need to have the antennae to receive music. If someone does not have an ear for it, no matter what kind of high-level music you may subject this individual to, it will not have any impact because the person may not have the ability to process it further.
Q. In the West, music is being increasingly viewed as a neuroscience model for coping with learning disabilities, pain management and other such stuff. Do you think if we study and map the mental process of an accomplished artiste, and then superimpose the findings on a slow brain, we may come up with therapeutic practices to help such people?
A. I don’t know about neuroscience. The mental process that goes into receiving, unravelling and feeling music is not a mechanical one. It is as organic as music itself. It is not as if you record the process, map it and superimpose it on some slow brain to speed it up…Because these processes are not static but dynamic. They grow and evolve every moment. The same artiste may not be able to come up with the same kind of performance at a different point in time. Music is a mystery and as a performer, I am as anxious and eager as the audience to know how a raga that I am going to present will unfold in a concert. You see one masters the technique. But a musical experience is not only about technique. Your music has to have life, a soul. And that, I feel, is a purely organic process difficult to map.
Q. Music in any form has to have a purpose. How important is the medium of communication—your voice for instance?
A. The medium is quite important because it is your tool, your vehicle. However, it ought not to become more important than your music. It needs to be transparent—as transparent as water. Only then the flavour of whatever you mix in it—your music—will be transported to the listener unhindered. A medium should not be an obstacle in the process of transmission. In fact, it should create a harmonious situation wherein the transmitter, his/her music and the receiver become one. When you listen to Lata Mangeshkar Ji, you do not find her persona in her performance. What reaches the audience is her emotion and the context of her rendering—it is like she is just a pool of water and you are immersed in her songs. An artiste has to strive hard to make his/her medium transparent. For this to happen the ego of an artiste has to dissolve.
Q. What about a musical instrument as a medium? Is it as effective as the human voice?
A. All the media are equally important in communicating the purpose of music. But it all depends upon how one handles the medium at one’s disposal. It will make an impact only when one infuses life into it. Voice is described in ancient musical treatises as “Gatra Veena”, an unseen musical instrument. When you sing, you sing with your whole being—your breath, abdominal core, lungs, thought process, feelings. It is a collective and vibrant experience. Also, an instrument becomes live only when it reproduces this experience of breathing. And what is this breath, this force of life in an instrument? In the violin for instance, its breath is in its bowing. When a violinist uses this “breath” expertly his instrument actually sings. Such a performance is considered to be of a very high calibre. Each instrument, including the voice, has its own limitations too. A sitar player, for instance, transcends four saptaks(a series of seven notes). A vocalist just cannot match this. Every artiste works in consideration of these limitations and despite these limitations. Your medium is your collaborator, not your slave. A voice, for example, is organic. It is not separate from your body and hence changes with the season and with physiological changes in your body. You’ve got to adjust yourself to all this. This is true even for instruments.
Q. Do you think Indian classical music is at a crossroads, considering the huge response popular/fusion music concerts have been drawing of late?
A. The present generation is increasingly getting exposed to Western values and music is no exception. Take for instance a rock concert—some 50,000 to 60,000 people assemble in some open theatre. There is frenzy, excitement, quick beats, loud, high-pitched music, and huge public response. It has a great power of attraction as it produces a “high”. But it is a very temporary high, like a high produced by alcohol or drugs. Today, many people want instant gratification; they spend sleepless nights when the music they have uploaded on social media does not get the desired number of likes. Classical music on the other hand does not provide instant gratification. It grows on you in an irreversible manner. It is a spiritual experience that elevates your soul, connects you to the very core.
Q. Do you think classical music as it is being presented today is responsible for this?
A. Sometimes, proficiency in technique is projected and appreciated as classical music. Command over technique deserves respect, but that is not the essence of art music. For instance, voice gymnastics like super-fast taans or sargams, holding your breath for a long time, hitting high notes and dragging on till one hears loud applause, are misleading representations of classical music. When you see an artiste’s supreme command on the medium, you do get awestruck. But that is not enough to touch your soul. Art should have a purpose and artistes should show a sense of responsibility. Maestros of the older generation, like the late Bhimsen Joshior Surashri Kesarbai Kerkar, had phenomenal breath control. Such was their lungpower and command over voice that they did not even require a mic. These singers used this power for continuity in performance and not for seeking applause. Pleasing the public at a concert is a function of musical mastery. Musicians know the formula of connecting with their audience. But that is not necessarily good musicianship. Many young musicians of today are capable of producing great music because of their command over their medium. I sincerely wish that they do produce great music, rather than only playing to the gallery.