Ravi Shankar is degrading our classical music

by his so called innovations - Vilayat Khan

Fifty-seven year old Ustad Vilayat Khan was the first sitarist to perform in the West. He
has been giving public performances for the past 47 years and is one of the highest paid
artistes. A controversial figure, Ustad Vilayat Khan has turned down awards from
organisations like the All-India Sangeet Natak Akademi. He is believed to be arrogant,
snubs journalists, does not care for other sitarists and avoids giving public
performances as far as he can. The Ustad who is now grooming his 10-year-old-son in
the art, recently performed in the Ravindralaya in Lucknow. The following are excerpts
from an interview he gave to SUBHASH MISHRA

Why do you avoid giving public performances?

Who says this? This is a blatant lie. How can a professional artiste reject offers when
his livelihood is derived only out of the performances. Basically I don’t avoid
performances, but of course I am very choosy about them. Yes, I don’t accept them
blindly just for the sake of money. First, verify about the organizers, the place and the
type of audience.

Which horse does not relish grass? Suppose I am not well, how can I accept the
offer?

It is said that you are paid less for your performances in comparison with your
contemporaries.

This is another lie. I am the highest paid artiste in India. As a professional, I cannot
compromise with my rates and sometimes I have to decline the offer on account of this.
In such circumstances some people spread the rumour that Ustad has rejected the
offer. I do try to get from the organizers the utmost rates. I am not like others whose
rates vary from Rs 60,000 to Rs one lakh to suit their convenience. I don’t have flexible
principles. I don’t have a compromising character.

Khan Sahib, it is said that you are a self-taught maestro. Is it true that you have
had no guru?

No, no, no.. My father Ustad Inayat Khan Sahib, was my initial guru. As my father
expired when I was only 10 years old I was further taught by Ustad Bande Hussain
Khan, Ustad Zinde Hussain Khan, Faiyaz Khan, Mushtak Khan Saheb, etc, some of
whom were my kins also. I gave my first performance on stage at the age of 10. My real
guru was my father, Ustad Inayat Khan.

Here, may I venture to open past wounds? Why have you rejected prizes and
awards in the past?

Yes, this is the right question to answer (he turns a little grim and specially instructs
me to write down the answer). I do not accept awards given by corrupt, biased and
foolish persons. At first I rejected an award in 1964 proposed by the Sangeet Natak
Akademi whose procedure for the selection of award nominees was based on prejudices.
Initially, the criteria for selection of award nominees was based on three qualities of the
artiste, the artiste’s contribution in the field of music, his popularity and the number of
generations of the artiste who served in the field. Subsequently, these norms were
changed to suit the convenience of vested interests, and artistes having 'sources' were
selected and awarded. This gave me a rude shock and I declined the offer of the award.
At the same time, I wish to make it clear that I am the saddest person after rejecting the
Sangeet Natak Akademi award. Though I have been awarded by many countries for my
art and performances, I am pained that I could not get due regard in my own country.

The grievous charge against your music is you are orthodox, which means you
don’t like innovations?

Really, I don’t like innovations. Music is pious and by and large an eternal discipline. It
is horrible to amalgamate it with other cheap ragas. We should first achieve mastery
over our 4,84,000 ragas and raginis and only then we should attempt to invent new
ones. Our classical music has innumerable ragas and raginis covering our finest
thoughts and emotions as well as the exigencies of nature. Those creating new ragas
are unwise and are propelled by a sense of cheap popularity. For example Ravi
Shankar....

Yes, yes. I am boldly saying that by his so-called innovations, Ravi Shankar is
degrading the field of our classical music.

There has been a tidal craze for classical music in the West, specially for the sitar.
Whom does the credit go to?

After Independence, I was the first Indian artiste who gave a sitar performance in the
West (in USA), but defacto Ravi Shankar popularised it for years there. I will say that
Ravi is the only sitarist who popularised it in the West.

What are your views about Pandit Ravi Shankar?

He is a genius indeed. Such matchless artistes are rarely born on earth, and I have
deep regard for him, especially since he has had no familiar background in sitar-
playing. I very much appreciate his individual style which he has consistently
sustained. But the drawback with him is he is always looking for glamour and publicity.

I have no doubt in saying that he is popular in the West, as he has popularised the sitar
amongst the laymen there who are not versed in the purpose and content of our
classical music. He has been crowned by people who don’t know about the intricacies of
an instrument like the sitar. It would have been better if he had popularised it in India
where at least a section of the masses know the basics of sitar. Here I would like to add
the way he is innovating new ragas in sitar is degrading the standard.

It is said that for the sake of publicity you create controversies from time to time.

My answer lies in your question itself. That is all I want to say about this question.

And that you snub journalists and are arrogant?

(Firmly) If I am arrogant, you judge it better than me. But I don’t think so. I would
certainly say that I don’t leave those journalists who, without knowing the head and tail
of music, come to criticise us.
What do you make of music critics?

In my opinion, snakes and critics are alike. You can hardly escape from their bite:
Critics should not take their views as ‘laws’. It is amusing that they generally pose to be
better than the musicians.

What about the foreigners’ interest in our classical music?

They regard it warmly and pay handsomely for our programmes.

Were you invited to the Festival of India?

Yes. Their representative did come to me and stayed at my residence. But perhaps they
couldn’t agree to my charges and thus I rejected the offer.

Do you think the government is treating the artistes properly?

No. Rather most of our artistes are starving for want of requisite programmes, specially
the young ones.

As a veteran, what are you doing for them?

Every year I give two concerts free of cost and get the amount thus collected distributed
to poor artistes in my presence. Secondly, I don’t accept a single paisa from my shagirds
(disciples) all over the world. I think this is something which every master-ustad or
guru-should do for his disciples.

How much time do you devote to riaz?

Hardly two to three hours a day in the morning.

Future plans?

To teach shagirds only. However, I will never write a book or open any music
institutions. I don’t think myself capable of writing a book.

Would you like to compose music for films?

Although I have composed in films like Kadambari, Munna Madhosh, Malhar etc and
have got an award also for Manik Da’s (Satyajit Ray’s) movie, Jalsaghar, in future I do
not intend composing for films. I believe in ‘high thinking and simple living’.

As a veteran, how do you rate the young and upcoming artistes?

Our younger generation is really intelligent, hard working and susceptible. But the
drawback with them is that they don’t respect their gurus and ustads. After learning
the basics, they aspire to compete with their masters. Their greatest drawback is that
they want to become media celebrities without the requisite exercise.