''Sing anything, but train classical'' – Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar
''Sing anything, but train classical'' – Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar
Pandit Ulhas N Kashalkar is a revered name in North Indian Classical Music today. Trained in the aspects of Gwalior, Jaipur and Agra gharanas, he is considered a representative of all three schools. He is said to possess the ability to switch between three styles – at times even in the course of a single performance. Pt. Kashalkar is also noted for his authentic presentations of obscure traditional ragas. He's an academic in music, and has been a guru at the ITC-Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata for 20 years. The scholar will be returning to Bangladesh for the third year running to perform at the Bengal Classical Music Festival, but his connections to Bengal Foundation is deeper this time: He is coming this year as the principal of Bengal Foundation's classical music school, 'Parampara'.
Excerpts from a conversation with the maestro from the previous year:
The Bengal Classical Music Festival in Bangladesh is seeing so much success in a very short span of time. What do you think of it?
Pt. Kashalkar: I think it's great that such a festival is taking place here, and I believe it will play a role in the advancement of music here. There are many talented artistes here as well, many of whom come to India to receive training. They can draw a lot of inspiration from the festival. I hope this kind of musical programmes become more regular here, maybe once every couple of months a good artiste can come here and perform. People here do not get to listen to a lot of good classical music; I think this is a great opportunity for them to enjoy some great music.
The traditional forms of music appeal a little less in comparison to others to the younger generation. Thoughts?
Pt. Kashalkar: You see, a certain level of scope is required to understand classical music. But I believe that once this form of music starts to appeal to someone, they will have a special place in their hearts for it. I'm not saying other forms of music are not good; light music is excellent in its own way, but the base of that music also lies in classical. I think if the younger generations listen to classical music, it will widen their vision of music, and they can enjoy all kinds of music to a greater extent.
How important is a classical training background for any professional singer?
Pt. Kashalkar: Lata Mangeshkar once said – you can sing any kind of music you like, but your training must be in classical. Once you've done that -- you can go ahead and sing other, more 'light' forms as well, but your foundation has to be right.