The notes that flow from Pandit Rajeev Taranath’s sarod are nothing short of magic. A cosmos weaved by the maestro himself. When the internationally-acclaimed musician came down to Kerala to give his first-ever public performance in the state, TNIE had an opportunity to interact with him.
“This is my second visit to the state,” said Taranath who had been to Kozhikode sometime back to perform at a private function. Taranath’s Malayalam connect doesn’t stop here. “My association with Kerala dates back to 1978 when I was invited to give background music encore for the film ‘Kanchana Sita’. Then again in 1991 for the film Kadavu,” he recalls.
Taranath only has happy memories from those times. “I had a good experience and why won’t it be since I was dealing with very eminent, talented and serious personalities like Aravindan and M T Vasudevan Nair,” he added. But these were art movies of the time, said Taranath.
“Music is a part of every Indian’s life. People go around humming songs. The music has a deep connection with people. Though I am okay with composing background music, I love doing songs much more. So if I get an opportunity to compose a Malayalam song then I would do it,” said Taranath. The maestro says he appreciates the works of music director Bijibal.
“He is a very talented person,” added Taranath who has composed one song in Kannada which became very famous. Taranath is hailed as a prodigy in Hindustani vocal music and was trained in the early days by his father and various eminent musicians. The now legendary musician became a concert and radio artist by the time he turned 20.
Speaking of how he took up sarod, Taranath said, “It was love at first sight”. It happened late in his life, while he was a professor of literature. “But I gave up my teaching job as I was unable to ignore my heart’s calling,” he added. According to him, it is all about emotions. “To be with the one thing that you love the most, you can give up 10 things. It is just like falling in love. To get the man or woman that you love, you will be ready to give up all other things. We can’t quite find logical reasoning when it comes to love,” he added.
However, Taranath laments that the love for classical music is waning in the country. “But there has been an increase in serious listeners in foreign countries. This is so in the case of students too,” he added.
According to Taranath, the best mode of the teaching-learning process is the one that was practised in the good old days. “I believe in the Gurumukhi mode of teaching,” he passionately says.
But he loved playing for a Malayali audience. “There was a fullness of response among the people here,” said Taranath, who is a disciple of the Maihar-Allauddin Gharana. Taranath has also received guidance from Pandit Ravi Shankar and Annapurna Devi. From 1995 to 2005, he was a member of the music department faculty at the prestigious California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles.
A life for sarod
Taranath has toured extensively as a performer in India, Australia, Europe, Yemen and throughout the US. He is a recipient of several Indian government’s highest national honours in arts, including the 2019 Padma Shri award and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2000. His home state of Karnataka has honoured him with many awards. The ‘Sangeet Vidwan’ and the ‘Nadoja’ award in 2018; the prestigious ‘Chowdiah Award for Music’ in 1998; the ‘Karnataka Rajya Prashasti’ in 1996 and the Sangeet Nritya Akademi Award in 1993. In 1980 he was the subject of a documentary made for television in Yemen titled Finnan Min-Al-Hind (Artist from India). He has also composed music for several nationally and internationally-acclaimed Indian films.