My father’s wrestling techniques made my lungs strong: Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, the North Indian flautist known for his great performances of classical music on the bamboo flute, was in the city to perform at the ongoing Saptak music festival.

"Music helps you understand the deeper musings of the mind," he said. "Listening to music can help a person to a better understanding of his inner drives. This, in turn, gives him the confidence to follow the path in life dictated by his heart."

A recipient of Padma Bhushan and Sangeet Natak Akadami awards, Chaurasia does not belong to a musical tradition in the conventional sense, nor does he belong to a family of musicians.

His father was a wrestler. His mother died when he was just 4 years old. His father wanted him to become a wrestler. As Chaurasia could not convince his father that he wanted to be a musician, he had to continue his pursuit of music without his father's knowledge. "I learnt kushti (wrestling) and music simultaneously," he said.

When still in his early teens, he started out as a singer under the training of Pandit Raja Ram, a vocalist based in Chaurasia's hometown, Allahabad. One year after his debut performance as a vocalist, Chaurasia happened to hear a performance on a woodwind by Pandit Bhola Nath of Varanasi. "Listening to that performance changed my life," Chaurasia said. "It changed the course of my musical career. I could listen to my heart's voice clearly because the music had helped me understand my mind's deepest desires. Today, I am happy and feel blessed that I followed the path dictated by my heart."

He began playing the flute and resolved to carry forward the mission of Pandit Pannalal Ghosh, a great pioneer of woodwind music, to take the music to beyond the strictly classical form.

"Music assists you in your quest of the spark hidden within," he says. "The moment you discover your real self through music, the reason why you have been born becomes clear. This realisation ultimately helps you mould your path to achieve your dreams."

The master flautist is known for his rare capacity to combine innovation with tradition. He has perfect command over a variety of light classical tunes - from thumri to folk music. Chaurasia has taken the expressive power of the flute to new heights through his mastery of blowing techniques and, for this, he thanks his father.

"I could develop finer and newer blowing techniques because of the power my lungs acquired through the physical exercises my father personally taught me when I was training to become a wrestler," he said.