Ramp Raga

ACTOR Saif Ali Khan loved the combination — live classical music by eminent Hindustani flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, veteran mr...

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ACTOR Saif Ali Khan loved the combination — live classical music by eminent Hindustani flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, veteran mridangam player Umayalpuram K Sivaraman and Dhrupad singer Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, with fashion models sashaying down the ramp. So did the cream of Mumbai present at designer Satya Paul’s show ‘Music of Colours’, which displayed his fall/winter collection at the Taj Lands End in Mumbai last month. Dagar’s ‘Guru Stuti’ and Chaurasia’s flute dhuns set the tone for the ‘Absolute Colour’ line while Sivarman’s percussion ensemble formed the backdrop for the ‘Bronze Malkauns’ line.

But there were others who were heard mumbling crossly under their breath at the ‘crass commercialisation’ of classical music. Music aficionados pointed out the incongruity of the artists — some of them have earlier refused to perform for sit-down dinners or for women vocalists — sharing stage space with models.

Sixty-seven-year-old Sivaraman, however, defends his decision to participate in the show. ‘‘Whether it’s 15 minutes or 15 hours, a good musician can make an impact, which I did. I made an impression, I could see that. It felt great being recognised at the Taj coffee shop the next day,’’ says the Chennai-based artiste. Like many of the leading mridangam players of the south, Sivaraman has never played for women artistes. But that did not stop him for recording a 105-minute-composition especially for the evening. ‘‘So what if it was a fashion show, there’s a lot of rhythm and music in the movements on the catwalk,’’ he adds. ‘‘And playing for women singers was never a taboo. It is just that I did not get the opportunity,’’ he bristles.

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Chaurasia, too, refuses to go on the defensive about the show. ‘‘The experience was great,’’ he says, ‘‘especially because the show was in keeping with Indian tradition. It was like a puja.’’

Dagar wields a different reason for his presence. ‘‘Satya Paul’s son Punit Nanda is my uncle’s student. One reason why I performed at the show,’’ he says, adding ‘‘My first preference is to keep the classicism of Dhrupad intact. I performed only when there was no model on the ramp. I would not have sung to accompany them.”

Not everyone is taking kindly to the artistes’ explanations. Well-known vocalist Neela Bhagwat voices her dissatisfaction very plainly. ‘‘I don’t know why they did it. These are the very people who uphold the guru-shisya parampara. And here they are treating tradition so cheaply. What kind of example are they setting,’’ she asks, adding that she would normally never play at a fashion show.

While violinist Dr N Rajam also declares that she would not perform at such a happening, tablachi Aneesh Pradhan states he has no such reservations provided he is “convinced of the project”. ‘‘My wife Shubha (Mudgal) played at the same company’s launch in New Delhi recently. The theme of the show was saris with some Vaishnavite designs (I think) and the artiste chose sacred hymns from the Vaishnava tradition to set the mood. In this case, classical music was only elevated,’’ he justifies.

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‘‘It all depends on the spirit of the presentation,’’ says Bhagwat, who admits to have sung at hotels in Italy. ‘‘We requested them not to eat or smoke till the end of the programme, and they focused completely. It was different — about bringing Indian music to audiences who loved it and wanted to hear it,’’ she points out.

‘‘Even if you can get five new people to listen to classical music, it is a gain,’’ reasons Durga Jasraj, daughter of Pandit Jasraj, disagreeing that the musicians desecrated the classical tradition.

Which brings us to the Taj coffee shop and Sivaraman. Post-show, the crowd, reborn as avid mridangam fans, were overheard discussing where they could buy the maestros’ albums. So where does that leave the debate?