Santoor player started learning from his father, late santoor legend Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, when he was 13. And now, taking the guru-shishya parampara forward with his nine-year-old son, Abhinav, gives Rahul a lot of contentment. On Teacher’s Day today, he tells us how teaching his son “feels surreal”. Rahul shares, “The fact that the tradition of learning continues from my father to me and now my son is truly a blessing. But, teaching requires patience. I try and make learning a fun experience for him before the strict discipline comes in.”
For Abhinav, learning from his dad feels like a breeze. “He is a great guru. He teaches in a fun way and is not strict at all,” he says.
While Rahul is not strict about the guru-shishya parampara like most yesteryear Indian classical musicians, he does like it when his son “seeks my blessings before a performance like I did from my father”. Talking about drawing lines between both the roles, Rahul (50) adds, “I guess the line between a father and guru is still being drawn. It’s a fine line, as the guru-shishya respect needs to be prevalent along with the warmth of father-son.”
Talking about the role of a guru. Rahul adds, “I think being a good performer on stage and being a good teacher are both different skills that my dad possesed and though he was extremely patient, he did not have to repeat too much as I was a quick learner. I practise and preach the same method with Abhinav.”
Abhinav, on the other hand, thanks his dad for not just teaching him music, but more. “Besides the santoor, he’s also taught me cricket and table tennis,” says Abhinav, adding, “I enjoy the santoor as I have watched my grandfather and father peform since I was a baby. I love the sound of the instrument.”
My grandpa, my first teacher
“My grandfather loved me a lot and taught me ragas. The first one I learnt from him was Bhopali that is also one of my favourites. Next, I learnt raga Durga, Hamsadhwani, Kaushik Dhwani, Megh, Yaman, Shankara, Jansamohini and Bhairav. I loved him lot,” says Abhinav.
www.hindustantimes.com
Source link