India is a country of differing ethnicities, communities, religions and languages, educational levels and different philosophies – a society more multi-cultural than you will find anywhere within one nation-state. Indian philosophy believes in what is known as “Unity in diversity”.  No wonder that the word “immigrant” is unknown in India.

 

In this paper, I propose to deal with on the visible and significant cultural differences between different communities living together in India, and what role and responsibilities in this context dwell upon musicians and music educators. However, considering the growth of international interest in the study of Hindustani music, I shall also deal with the issues that pertain to teaching students from the west.   

 

By way of background, however, I should acquaint you with some facets of the imparting of the musical and performing capability.  

 

1. Levels of general education which different communities have achieved, would have significant effect on a student’s ability to learn or  teach music.  An educated student normally picks up both the contents and expression of music, much faster than a student with a lower level of education.  On the other hand there is a risk of the educated student overly using his intellectual faculty, blocking the flow of  spontaneous soulful music.

          

2. The religious background of communities usually results in different emotional attitudes and inertia.  Granting that  emotional input in music making is of great value, it is conceivable that a student who is emotionally surcharged has to be handled/taught in a slightly different manner as compared to a student who is either less emotional or is in greater control of his faculties.

          

3. Certain sections of society, even with the same religious beliefs, inherit certain spiritual aptitudes with a very inward looking and relatively steady and serene attitude to life.  As a corollary, these profiles subsume highly introspective attitudes. Such attitudes usually prefer and therefore create music of a more dignified and spiritual nature, rather than frivolous or exotic music. 

            

4. Differing attitudes to life: Attitudes to life can be described philosophically through terms used in ancient scriptures.  Three basic paths have been identified to reach the ultimate – Almighty.  These are known as:

 

1.         Bhakti Marg – Path of Devotion
2. Gyan Marg – Path of Knowledge
3. Karma Marg – Path of Service

 

The first signifies a devotional attitude towards Almighty – an attitude of surrender of one, who believes that he as an entity is a “nobody” – he is merely an instrument or vehicle of God.  Everything he does is according to His Will.  Music of such a person tends to be “humble” and serene in nature. 

         

The Gyan Marg follower believes that he is the “source of power” – He almost believes that he is the “Almighty” – the  “epicentre” of all that happens around him.  But at the same time he also believes, that all living beings around him, are also such “centres” of power, determining and making their own destinies.  The music of such a person is likely to be relatively more aggressive and self-centred.

 

The third path is that of Karma Marg which implies that the path leading to realisation of God is through the service of mankind – an area not of much direct relevance to “music making”..

 

Therefore one can summarise that even within communities – i.e., within a specific culture – there could be differing attitudes towards music, as per the dictates of one’s mind and resultant aptitudes.

 

5.     As one of the most significant elements of Indian music is the ability to take risks, communities who are highly calculative in nature would be restricted in their ability to develop this element in music making, as compared to communities who have a carefree and “dare-devil” attitude.  More often than not, an emotional sensitivity and the ability to take risks go together.  This dimension is all the more relevant as classical Indian music is based on improvisation and the more emotional a student is, the greater is his ability to take risks and introduce elements of surprise in his music, making it richer both in terms of imagination and exuberance.

 

6. Physical differences : Apart from differing mental faculties, physiques of individuals also differ according to geographical conditions and ethnicity.  In music, these differences are most obvious in the quality of voice.  In other words, communities belonging to different regions have different abilities of voice production which affect in turn, their musical expressions in relation to vocal music.

 

As a teacher, I have handled these facets of individual and cultural diversity on a fairly large scale. They may be brought into sharper focus by considering three examples. 

  

1. Akbar Khan (living in Pakistan)
2. Narayan Mani (living in India)
3. Jake Wilson (living in U.K.)

 

When compared to my personal, cultural and religious background as their teacher, these students have similarities as well as differences.  What are theses? Compared with mine.

 

1. Akbar Khan

* Has same musical culture

* Different country of domicile (Pakistan)

* Different religion (Muslim)

 

2. Narayan Mani

* Different musical culture (South Indian or Carnatic music tradition)

* Same country of domicile (India)

* Same religion (Hindu)

3.       Jake Wilson

* Different musical culture  (student of western music)

* Different country of domicile (U.K.)

* Different religion (Christian)

 

These examples are chosen to represent a sufficient diversity on important parameters of musical culture, and personal ideological attributes. In the discharge of my duties as their Teacher or Guru, I have had to work with, and within, these parameters. 

 

Let’s further elaborate and analyze a little more in greater depth, the background of each of these students. 

 

AKBAR KHAN

* Belongs to a traditional family of musicians.

* Learns more by ear than through academic methods of writing down – making notes – of salient points.

* Has a natural aptitude for playing improvised music – does not perform like an academically taught, or studious performer.

* More spontaneous and impulsive; loves to take risks.

* However not as careful to observe tenets or rules – grammar of the raga and related disciplines – good on execution but relatively poor on theoretical soundness on content. 

* Highly traditional in behaviour – and music making.

 

NARAYAN MANI

* Belongs to a traditional family of musicians.

* Academically highly qualified.  Has the ability to grasp and translate musical knowledge both quickly and effortlessly.          

* Being well-versed in South Indian musical traditions (Carnatic system), does not easily absorb different techniques of musical expressions used by Northern Indian musicians.  

*      Has to make special efforts to grasp the melodic and intonation nuances of Northern Indian music.  

* Sometimes gets lost in interpreting and unfolding the “Raga”according to Northern Indian musical traditions.

 

JAKE WILSON

* Belongs to an English, essentially involved Academics. 

* Is highly sensitive and intelligent.

* Is at a tender – impressionable age.

* “Feels” music soulfully – spiritually.

* Has unbelievable grasping power and memory.

* Keen to absorb traditional values of respect, devotion, loyalty.

 

How does a music teacher or Guru tailor his approach to grooming so diverse a group of students? 

 

A music educator has necessarily to understand the psychology, aptitude and grasping ability of his student, without which he cannot be a successful, effective teacher.  According to ancient Indian traditions, a Guru has to have five basic and essential qualifications:

 

1. GYAN – Should have deep knowledge.
2. VIGYAN – Should have scientific analytical ability to

interpret the knowledge.

3. VACHAN – Should be articulate.
4. PRAYOG-SIDDHI – Should have ability to demonstrate.
5. SHISHYA-NISHPADAN – Should have ability “to make a student” into a performer or a teacher.

 

Assuming that the Guru has all these qualities – or at least some of these – how would he go about – or shall I say how do I go about teaching these three students who have diverse cultural affinities?

 

AKBAR KHAN

Indian method of teaching music is usually  “Moukhik” i.e. verbal, or by aural transmission.  Students like Akbar Khan are not amenable to writing down what they learn from their teacher.  As Indian music is essentially improvised, such students tend to memorize what is taught and usually perform on lines akin or similar to the teacher’s training.  It is apparent therefore, that such students grasp essentials and the techniques of music making, sometimes at the expense of adherence to rules, tenets, grammar or discipline of the raga, which is the  melodic vehicle through which the Indian musician expresses himself.

 

The grasping power of such students, whose level of education is not very high, is relatively less sharp or low.  The Guru therefore has to be meticulous and more often than not, has to insist on repeated execution of the same phrase to ensure adequate and proper performance.  General guidelines rather than detailed micro instruction is the basis on which such students progress.

 

Classical Indian music is improvised. Therefore, students like Akbar Khan, who do not take detailed notes, and rely only on their memory, often stray from neatness of presentation and disciplined creativity in their performance. However, because of the historical, cultural and ethnic affinities between the peoples of South Asia, his location in Pakistan and Muslim religion has no bearing on his ability to learn music at the feet of his Guru.  The only religion of a musician is  music.  

 

Hence a lower level of education – lower grasping and retaining power, coupled with a certain amount of orthodoxy, are areas which a  Guru has to tackle to make successful performers of such students. 

 

NARAYAN MANI

Here is a student who is highly educated. His grasping power is excellent and in fact he is a highly respected  performer of the Veena, but performs South Indian music.  You may wonder what difference this should make. In India, we have two distinct musical traditions: the North Indian or Hindustani and South  Indian or Carnatic.  Even with the same religious background people of the North and the South have not amalgamated their musical systems.  Both the systems exist and evolve independently, their audiences and followers being quite distinct.

 

Being adept at playing South Indian music, Narayan Mani was keen to learn to play Northern Indian music on his Veena. What is the methodology I apply for teaching Narayan Mani?  My approachj to grooming him has to be entirely different from the one for teaching Akbar Khan.  Narayan Mani grasps  quickly and thoroughly all that is taught.  Detailed notes are made; efficient notation is made of the music taught.  Notes are made of special movements and features, which reveal and add flavour to the raga in question.

 

Narayan Mani follows – on the Veena — the music that I play on the sitar with great dexterity and almost faultlessly.  He remembers various streams of melodic and geometric designs used for subject building in the course of improvisation and his recitals therefore are easily of a high order.

 

However does he lack the spontaneity or the ability to create surprises of the academically less qualified students like Akbar Khan?  Even hesitantly, I will have to admit that this could be so.  Music making is a judicious balance of the mind and the heart.  These two students therefore have distinct strengths – may be one of the “ear” in Akbar’s case and one of the “mind” in  Mani’s case.

 

It is therefore left to the Guru to ensure that the deficiencies are removed and strengths are developed.  If it is a qualification of a Guru that he succeed in shaping a student into a competent performer, a student”, both of these students are successful professionals who make me feel rewarded for my endeavours.  

JAKE WILSON

This student is completely different from the earlier two I have discussed.  He stays in the U.K. and visits India periodically to study with me. Academically, he is highly qualified, he is young, commands excellent grasping power, has inherited a western discipline through his earlier training in music and, above all, has tremendous respect and affection for the Indian musical traditions.

The “feel” that he has for Indian music is unbelievable.  The ease and finesse with which he can reproduce what he is taught, is amazing.  It is difficult to imagine so effortless a leap of the musical empathy across cultural barriers except by suspecting that in his previous birth, Jake Wilson was an Indian.  Good Indian music recitals bring tears to his eyes.  Does religion act as a barrier?  No.  Does his domicile in a country of  different culture create impediments?  No.  Is it easy for me to teach him? An emphatic  Yes.  It is not only easy but a pleasure.  

 

However, “foreign” students like Jake Wilson do not find it easy to adopt to Indian way of life, Indian way of thinking and Indian way of music making.  I have heard several musicians say that students of “non Indian” origin cannot have what we call “an Indian touch”.  But then in the last few decades, I have come across at least 25/30 musicians from Europe, USA, Canada, Japan, etc., who have become accomplished Indian music performers.  I think it is basically – once again – the ability of the Guru to understand, analyse and impart musical knowledge to a student of “non Indian” origin who has different ideas of musical discipline, who is amazed by the creative possibilities that improvisation offers and who seeks a high level of contentment and peace through music.

 

CONCLUSION 

Just as the essential universality of in musically sensibilities is exaggerated, I believe that the cross-cultural barriers to their appreciation and absorption are also frequently overstated. What stands between students from anywhere learning to perform music from a different musical tradition is the competence of the teacher. He must treat the encounter as an opportunity to learn as much as an opportunity to impart his knowledge and skill. In India, we understand this better than most other musical traditions because, throughout its history, Indian music has evolved as an assimilative product of various cultural influences. Our musical traditions have evolved their own devices for retaining their essential “Indian-ness” while keeping their windows open to the winds of change from all corners of the world. This is one of the reasons why ideas like “Globalisation” do not possess the same threatening connotation to those involved in Indian classical music, as they do to those concerned with other ancient musical traditions.