The Song catchers

Amateurish notes of Raag Bhairav emerge from the Rajan and Sajan Mishra Institute for Performing Arts and waft over the bustling neighbourhood in South Extension-Part 2.

Amateurish notes of Raag Bhairav emerge from the Rajan and Sajan Mishra Institute for Performing Arts (RASIPA) and waft over the bustling neighbourhood in South Extension-Part 2. Inside the school,eight-year-old Ishita Anirudh is going through her riyaaz with her guru Ritesh Mishra,son of Rajan Mishra of the vocalist duo Rajan-Sajan Mishra . He runs the institute with his cousin Rajneesh. A similar scene is playing out at the Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan Centre for Culture (UMAK) a music school in Jasola near Sarita Vihar,where sitar maestro Pandit Debu Chaudhurys fingers have taken on a particular shade of purple from playing the sitar with his numerous students. A few kilometers away,in Panchsheel,classical sufi singer Zila Khan is making her students perform a strict kharaj ka riyaaz (practising low notes) at Ustadgahher gurukul that opened its doors in March.

The three institutes are the latest additions in the Hindustani classical music scene in Delhi . And contrary to popular perception that Indian classical music is a dying genre,all these schools are full despite strict admission criteria. Ustadgah,which started in March,has more than 50 students while the month-old UMAK has 40. Both are based on the age-old gurukul system,in which students live in the school and follow a time-table that intersperses household chores with riyaaz. A student can be a part of the school as long as his guru feels he hasnt mastered the art. RASIPA,which opened doors in October,has 10 students who come in for lessons twice a week. UMAK is my effort to benefit to the future generation that seeks to play music with purity, says Chaudhury,who belongs to Tansens Senia gharana.

UMAK selects students after a series of voice tests. We will have visiting teachers like Pt Birju Maharaj and Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia. These guest lectures will enable students to learn from maestros, says Chaudhury. Apart from instrumental music,UMAKs syllabus includes vocal classical and Indian classical dance forms.

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Khan,on the other hand,held nationwide music workshops to find the right students. The selected students,who have been taken on generous scholarships,live on a campus that is equipped with a digital archive,an art gallery,library and a resource centre. Students learn on the first floor of Khans Panchsheel bungalow and live in accommodations at Gurgaon,Gol Market and Pusa Road. This music school was my fathers (Ustad Vilayat Khan) dream. We wanted a school where students will learn not just to appreciate music but also to preserve it, says Khan,who is the only female singer in the Imdad gharana. UMAKs campus is a three-storey building in Jasola,where students live as well as learn,while RASIPA operates out of a rented office area.

The students are generally between six and 35 years of age and come from cities like Kolkata and Patna . Saptarishi Mandal,30,who learns from Chaudhury,says,The opportunity of learning from a guru like him was enough for me to leave everything and come to Delhi . Lessons from a guru is the best way to learn music. Khan adds that she ensures that the younger students in her gurukul keep up with regular studies besides music.

Ritesh says that RASIPA,which charges Rs 2,000 per month for every student,merges traditional techniques with a modern approach. The times are changing and so are we. Today,we talk and learn music using technology like e-music but the basic idea of devotion and surrender towards ones guru remains the same.

The funding for the music schools comes largely from donations from the state government and private donors and Chaudhury says,It has been an uphill task to arrange funds. The chief minister Sheila Dixit donated Rs 50 lakh for the school while I have taken a Rs 70 lakh loan in order to begin this.

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