The streets of London are chaos. Scores of people scurrying
by. In the midst of the madness, I heard a perfect note. The street musician
was in his world of silence. His cello was taller than him. They were a group
of aspiring musicians. The next few notes took me by storm. I could have sat
there all day. I was embarrassed to give them money. I bought their album
instead. I had found peace and calm at Piccadilly Circus. The celebration of
life wasn’t loud anymore.
My next tryst with the violin would be closer to home. At
home, in fact. My house mate in Oslo was learning from the Norwegian School of
Music. My first question, when I came to examine the place, was, “does he
practice a lot? Will there be disturbances?” Practice he never did at home. His
music was silent. In my quiet moments I asked him to play. He invited me to a
concert instead. It was an orchestra performance. In a 1 hour long performance,
I tried to find his one minute solo. I could hear it. For his soul had
transcended our walls.
It was time to go back to my roots. After many years of
travelling I was finally back home in Kolkata. Kolkata embraced me with music. My
mother’s harmonium and tabla had gathered dust. I had to do something. I jumped
at the thought of paying my dues. At the thought of nurturing myself. Growing
up in a family with music in its blood can put a lot of pressure. But I was
going to attempt what nobody had in my family. I was going to play the violin.
When I first met Deb Sankar Ray Sir, I was humbled. My
corporate mantras and educational chips had fallen. Unknowingly I had resigned
to the softness in his voice. He played an impromptu for me. In sheer innocence
I asked “Will I be able to play like this?” He smiled and said, if you
practice, you can. There is a common perception that Violin is a tough
instrument. Who says the journey of life is easy? Who says reaching out to your
soul takes many lives? Maybe it does. Who knows?
I heard a story once. In a turbulent flight a 5 year old
girl was travelling alone. While oxygen masks dropped and there was utter
panic; she patiently kept drawing. A co-passenger asked her, Aren’t you scared
dear?” She was quick to reply. “No. My Dad is the pilot and he told me he is
taking me home” I have entrusted my musical journey to Deb Sankar Ray Sir. And
I know even if it doesn’t repair my blemished soul; it will take me home.
-Anushua Chakrabarti (student)
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ReplyDeleteAnushua you have written brilliantly . Your emotions are very much tied with Violin.
ReplyDeleteAwesome blog. Looking forward for updates.
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ReplyDeleteToday was not only my first day with Deb Shankars Institution but also my first tryst with violin . Amazingly under his caring guidance I was able to produce four notes in D string breaking a lifelong myth that violin is difficult to master. I am really looking forward to my future training days. at at
ReplyDeleteTwo months back I had a rare opportunity to persue a long cherished passion, learning to play the violin that too with a couple of maestros of Kolkata. Since then I am learning the intricacies of this magnificent instrument from a master whose power to tolerate my amateur tunes and rectifing them to create a maellifluous harmony simply remain unexplained in words. As a matter of fact I am a Civil Servant and deal with dreary files and accounts devoid of any harmony. This little weekend escapade is transforming my perception of life at a matured age of forty eight and I can only remain thankul to my violin teacher to provide me such an ecstacy in this dreary desert of mundane life. Thank you again Sir.
ReplyDeleteI WAS A STUDENT OF JYOTISANKAR ROY.I LEARNT VIOLIN UNDER HIS TUTELAGE FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS AND ALSO GAVE EXAM OF ROYAL SCHOOL OF MUSIC.AS A PERFORMER THEY ARE UNPARALLELED. I HAVE BEEN ENTHRALLED BY THEIR PERFORMANCES.BUT AS A TEACHER JYOTISANKAR ROY IS VERY SHORT TEMPERED.HE HAS NO PATIENCE.IF I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND ANY NOTE HE BECAME VIOLENT AND GOT ENRAGED.ACTUALLY I STARTED LEARNING VIOLIN AT THE AGE OF THIRTY .VIOLIN BROTHERS STARTED LEARNING MUSIC AT THE AGE FOUR.IF ANYBODY STARTS LEARNING MUSIC AT AN EARLY AGE ,IT WILL BE EASY FOR HIM TO GRASP IT.HE WOULD SAY JUST LIKE THIS"এটা পারছ না! "I AM ALSO THE DIRECTOR OF AN INSTITUTE AND HAVE HAD THE HUMBLE EXPERIENCE OF TEACHING MORE THAN TEN THOUSAND STUDENTS SO FAR. YOU CAN FIND THE PROOF IF YOU SEARCH IN GOOGLE -IEL, UTTARPARA, HOOGHLY .LATER GOING TO ATTEND HIS CLASS TRAUMATISED ME.I COULD NOT BEAR WITH HIS ILL TEMPERAMENT.OUT OF SHEER DESPONDENCE I LEFT HIS CLASSES.I NEVER FOUND ANY ENCOURAGING WORDS FROM HIM. WHILE TEACHING SIMPLE WORDS LIKE "EXCELLENT", "WONDERFUL" OR A PAT ON THE BACK CAN WORK MIRACLE.YOU MAY BE AN EXCELLENT PERFORMER BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU WILL BE AN EXCELLENT TEACHER. MOST PROBABLY JYOTISANKAR ROY HAS FORGOTTEN HOW HIS TEACHER MIHIR GUPTA WAS.MIHIR GUPTA WAS A PHENOMENAL TEACHER WITH GREAT PATIENCE. BUT DEBSANKAR ROY IS QUITE OPPOSITE .HE IS VERY PATIENT AND CORDIAL.FORTUNATELY I GOT HIS A FEW CLASSES IN JYOTISANKAR'S ABSENCE .IT WAS REALLY LOVEBLE EXPERIENCE .NOW THEY HAVE SET UP AN INSTITUTE IN SALT LAKE FOR EARNING MONEY AS LIVE PERMORMENCES ARE ON THE WANE.I WOULD ADVISE JYOTISANKAR ROY TO BE MUCH MORE PATIENT WITH THE STUDENTS .HE SHOULD PERFORM MEDITATION AND DEEP BRETHING TO HAVE TRANQUILLITY OF MIND .WITH MUCH DEJECTION AND OUT OF PANG I HAVE UTTERED ALL THOSE WORDS .I PRAY TO GOD THAT THEY MUST ENTHRALL THE PEOPLE WITH THEIR SOULFUL MUSIC IN THE YEARS TO COME . YOURS,
ReplyDeleteSHYAMSUNDAR GHOSH. DIRECTOR -IEL ( INSTITUTE OF ENGLISH LEARNING ) UTTARPARA HOOGHLY (OPP TO GENERAL HOSPITAL ) .www.ielacademy.in