Sabyasachi
(Rahul) Bhattacharya is based in Melbourne and plays the sarod
primarily in the style of the legendary Ustad
Amjad Ali
Khan. He has imbibed external influences on his playing, primarily from
the Imdadkhani school of sitar playing. He commenced his musical
training at the age of 5 , moving to advanced vocal training in the
ancient city of Varanasi (Benares) . He briefly trained in
western classical guitar for a few years. He moved to the sarod in the
early 90s, adapting his vocal training to the instrument.
Sabyasachi believes that Hindustani Music is something to be
experienced, not analysed. "I
call it a soul- soaking - I love music which allows me to close my eyes
and allow my heart and soul to be drenched in the colour of the sound."
His ideal musicians are Ustad Amir Khan, Ud Vilayat Khan and
Ud Amjad Ali Khan. "Their
music displays a sense of balance - despite their tremendous
technique, they use it only to enhance their musical poetry".
He is acutely aware of the demands of concert playing on musicians. "In
a concert, people expect a spectacle - there is often the
urge to
dazzle the audience with technique - the complex tihai, the convoluted
taan, the superfast jhaala - these, while pleasing, impress the mind
but do not touch the heart."
Sabyasachi is working to build up a vocal repertoire on the sarod . "Vocal
music is replete with masterpieces - take for example, the well known
composition Eli Aali Piya Bina in Yaman - even the best instrumental
compositions do not come close to the quality of this signaturepiece -
why not play it on the sarod instead of settling for a lesser but more
comfortable sarod composition?"
The problem with playing vocal music on the sarod is that it is
exceedingly difficult. "Thanks
to Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his innovative techniques we can now dream
of even attempting such a composition on the sarod - previously this
was unheard of" he says.
Sabyasachi has a
Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) New Delhi and an MBA from Deakin University, Australia |