Secret Grouses In The Classical Music World

In this social media-driven world, it’s taken a controversial issue to ensure that classical music is regularly in the news, becoming a topic of discussion even among those who don’t follow the genre. The subject is sitar exponent Anoushka Shankar’s reaction to Rishabh Rikhiram Sharma’s claim of being the youngest disciple of her father Pandit Ravi Shankar.

While Rishabh, who hails from a famous family of sitar-makers, says he underwent the formal process of being accepted as a student, the Ravi Shankar Centre issued a statement that it only “seeks only to correct i) inaccurate timelines ii) misperceptions around the nature and amount of instruction given by Guruji and iii) confusion around the term ‘disciple’.” Emphasising that it does not seek to diminish Rishabh’s talent and musical efforts, it states that Shankar’s youngest disciples were Shubendra Rao (age four) and Anoushka (at seven), and his last disciples were Nishad Gadgil and Scott Eisman.

Both artistes have a huge set of admirers. While Anoushka’s concerts fill up large-sized venues, Rishabh’s Sitar for Mental Health series is a grand success. In all probability, this face-off may ensure that newer audiences attend their concerts out of curiosity. Never mind if they haven’t heard of alaap-jod-jhala.

This ongoing tussle has led to a sudden burst of experts on guru-shishya parampara, and may even inspire a film called ‘Sitar Wars’. What’s noteworthy is that this isn’t the first time such claims have been made. Insiders would know of other instances, however rare, where musicians talk more of their interactions with specific legends, than their actual gurus. There are also those who take a few informal lessons from a celebrated musician, and announce his name in their bio-data. Not to talk about how some maestros have so many ‘seniormost disciples’.

As they say, yeh sab andar ki baatein hain. And these issues aren’t restricted to gurus and shishyas. The classical world has had other tickly issues. The aim here is not to name any individuals or practices, but to point out some other areas which often cause debate.

Undoubtedly, most musicians undergo a lot of sadhna and riyaaz in their journeys. Focus is mandatory. Yet, fame and recognition are tricky – some get them more, some get them less, some don’t get them at all, some use marketing gimmicks. The Padma awards, announced on Republic Day, is one area where some benefit, and others don’t.

Every year, a new set of Padma Shris are named, and some are elevated to Padma Bhushan. All winners are worthy of the honour, but in the absence of a clear criterion for selection, there is also frustration among those who don’t receive these titles. They too have worked equally hard, done the same amount of shows. Yet, many prolific musicians haven’t received these awards. Lack of recognition can lead to a grouse that other musicians get such awards earlier. This happens year after year, and is accepted as a way things function.

Then come the honorifics Pandit, Ustad and more recently Vidushi. Traditionally, such titles were bestowed on an artiste by the guru or some senior musician. Today, some musicians appoint themselves after a few years in the field. “Everybody does it, why shouldn’t I?” If they don’t do it, the media or organisers will do so. Sometimes, one sees puzzled reactions from young tabla players when called Pandit by the compere.

A more recent phenomenon is this Grammy award obsession. Normally, Indian musicians submit entries in the Global Music, New Age or Instrumental Music categories. Many are classical or fusion musicians. When entries are accepted (among scores of others worldwide), they ensure that the news is splashed on social media. Some even call themselves Grammy-nominated artistes after playing on only one song in an album. It’s great that more Indians are winning or getting nominated, but others want to gatecrash into the credit-list.

All these are sensitive issues, subject to varying opinions. Some things may rankle, but the true musician will solely focus on his art, with integrity.

Published on: Sunday, March 15, 2026, 07:20 AM IST