By turns affable and amusing, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt isn’t what one would imagine a classical musician to be. Equally jovial is his son Salil, a newer face to the world of the Mohan Veena. Inheriting this unique tradition from father Salil is his 11-year-old son Satvik. And, we discover, there is more to this family than their music that keeps their energy level so high.
After decades of giving public performances, in which part of the world are you the most comfortable?
Vishnu Mohan Bhatt: In India, I love to play in Pune, Dharwad and Kolkata. I find people in these towns to be the most appreciative. I also find the audience in Bangalore very open to culture. In fact, south India in general has maintained the tradition of culture so well. Outside of India, I like to perform in the US, Canada and Australia, where the reception has always been warm. My most memorable experience is when I played to an audience of over a lakh at the Crossroads Festival with Eric Clapton.
How do you react to classical music being taken to the open spaces, as opposed to maintaining it under a system of conservative patronage?
VMB: Open spaces help nurture a larger audience. The media has helped too, especially the medium of television. But we should ideally have a 24-hour channel for classical music. If animals can have three channels to themselves, why can’t we have one?
Salil Bhatt: I agree with Panditji, and there are innovations as unique as the Mohan Veena which Panditji invented 50 years ago, followed by the Vishwa Veena which should be documented. Now I have invented the Satvik Veena, named after my son. It’s somewhat of a veena trinity.
How far does one need to go to appeal to younger listeners?
VMB: We have to make a connection. It needs to sound attractive so that they don’t feel that the grammar of music is being imposed on them.
SB: We try to make it interesting. By giving back-to-back performances, one can create a resonance.
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One of the easiest ways of conserving classical music is to pass on the tradition within the family. Did your son take easily to your music?
VMB: I had decided that I won’t impose it directly on him. I wanted him to come to me. A child’s immediate reaction is to oppose what is asked of him. So my trick was to focus more on my students to make him jealous. And as expected, one day he came running to me to ask me to teach him.
SB: That’s true. My son, in fact, started playing when he was three and a half years old. He made it to the Guinness Book of World
Records for being able to recognise as many as 45 ragas. What music do you enjoy listening to?
VMB: My favourites are Ustad Aamir Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar. I also appreciate new age music. I love A R Rehman, in fact one of my favourites of his is “Radha Kaise na Jale”. And Britney Spears, too! And of course in my free time, I thoroughly enjoy Bollywood films.
SB: Kishoreji’s [Kishore Kumar’s] voice is unparalleled. New voices in the industry, like Shilpa Rao and Sunidhi Chauhan are also commendable. I also listen to Jerry Douglas and Eric Clapton and some of the banjo players. An instrument that fascinated me was the African harp. It has such an interesting construction, shaped like a small Christmas tree.