The sitar and tabla are globally recognised as Indian classical instruments, but the bansuri is often referred to as the ‘Indian flute’. On the eve of a concert in the city, maestro Ronu Majumdar speaks about this mislabelling, and why it’s crucial to encourage the youth
Ronu Majumdar and son Hrishikesh Majumdar at a performance
I want to ensure the bansuri gets the identity it deserves across the world,” is legendary Indian flautist Pandit Ronu Majumdar’s prompt reply when asked about his next goal. This passion for the instrument that has shaped his musical journey over the years shines through in every question he answers. Majumdar, who is known for his jugalbandis with other instrumentalists, will take the stage at a music festival organised by St Xavier’s College’s Indian Music Group this weekend, performing alongside his son, Hrishikesh Majumdar. “I am excited about this father-son jugalbandi. I hope my 24-year-old son’s performance will inspire youngsters to take up music as a career,” he shared.
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Apart from taking bansuri to the global stage, Majumdar’s efforts to popularise the instrument among the youth, is well-documented. “Youngsters are interested in learning to play the flute. Through the Ronu Majumdar Flute Foundation that I started in February 2022, I am teaching so many children from around the world,” the flautist reveals.
However, youngsters’ approach towards acknowledging Indian classical music has changed. “Indian classical music is currently in a phase of change. There was a time when we used to do only alaap for an hour. Now, people have lost patience. To connect better with them, we have had to change the packaging of performances. Younger audiences appreciate the rhythmic jugalbandi. We have taken to fusion music as well. It is essentially classical music, interspersed with interesting beats and lyrics,” Majumdar explains.
Majumdar feels it’s necessary to make Indian classical music more interesting for youngsters, to encourage them to pursue this art form. However, he has an important message for them, “Youngsters are running behind success; they seem to care only about how quickly they can take the stage to perform. That’s the wrong attitude. Your guru will tell you when the right time to go on stage is. One needs to have seriousness and devotion towards learning the subject.”
Drawing from his love and dedication towards this craft, Majumdar wants to get ‘bansuri’ its due. He remarks, “Sitar and tabla are popular in foreign countries as Indian classical instruments. But when it comes to bansuri, they refer to it as the ‘Indian flute’. That hurts me. When I composed music for the Hollywood film, Primary Colours, I ensured that they mentioned the instrument as ‘Bansuri, the Indian flute’ in the CD. My next goal is to make the Indian flute known as ‘bansuri’ because that’s its identity.”
On November 30; 4 pm onwards
AT St Xavier’s College, Dhobi Talao, Fort.
ENTRY Walk-ins permitted
Mumbai and Majumdar
Varanasi-born Majumdar was influenced by the musically rich environment of the city, which was home to stalwarts like Kishan Maharaj, Girija Devi and Ustad Bismillah Khan. However, he believes that Mumbai played a huge role in shaping his career in music. “I came to Mumbai in 1973 with my father. He insisted that I learn from a guru who can help master my craft, so I became a disciple of Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao,” he recalls. “My first concert was in Mumbai as a 13-year-old. After the performance, when people said that this kid played like a maestro, I realised that the flute is going to be my life. Mumbai gave me everything I have today. The city is an ocean of music,” he summarised.
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