Chandrakant Sardeshmukh, born into a house of music,
was a virtuoso sitarist before he was 10.
Indian sitarist Chandrakant Sardeshmukh projects joy, a lightness of spirit. Slightly built and curly haired, he says he ownes his radiance and openness to his music,"my life and breath." In his slow quiet voice he explains that his wandering life is not at all difficult. "It is a pleasure he said. "It is a great thing for me."
No less an authority than the world-renowned sitarist Ravi Shankar called Chanrakant Sardeshmukh, at age 9, " a sheer prodigy, " and accepted him as a student. By then, chandu had been playing for five years, and had been featured as a virtuoso at the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival. "Many generations of our family were blessed with love of traditional Indian arts," he said. "My home was a house of music. One brother was playing the tabla, and another brother and my sister wew singing. So God's gift to me was music."
He stayed under the tutelage of Ravi Shankar for 13 rigorous years, until he was a young man of 22. In that year he was honored with the rare, highest title that the Rajasthan University could bestow.
Other awards, which came later, included the titles of master fellow of the Center for performing Arts, Bombay, and royal sitarist from Sringeri. Whilst he was a disciple of Ravi Shankar, though, Chandu withdrew from public performances in order to concentrate on his education.
The son of a doctor in Pune, he studied at the University of Pune. He proved himself as a scholar and researcher in the Samavedic musical tradition. and eventually received his Ph.D. in Sanskrit. In 1982 he went on his first international concert tour.
That was for two months in Germany. Where a critic referred to his "rich tapestry of musical expression." For Chandu, the music he loves that began centuries ago as pure worship still has religious connotations, "pur, sacred, free and joyous." In Germany he performed at 34 concerts.
Although he perpetuates tradition, Chandu is also innovative. "It is the aim of all good music that you want to hear it more, and discover further dimensions," he said. Over a four-year period, he presented his new ideas in 150 films made by the Educational Media Research Center in Pune. He composed, including his own version of the national anthem. He made a speciality of writing Sanskrit verses. He lectured, directed dramas, and became established on radio, television, stage and film. He was the musical director of a play presented at Russian Festival of 1988 and the Indian Science Congress the following year. The theme of that play, he said, "was based on the evolution of the science of music from the primordial chaos at the beginning of time."
In 1990, Chandu went on a concert tour, which became the first of many, to Australia. Musicologists referred to his playing as "dazzling," and expressed special interest in Chandu's explanation of the links between origianl sacred music and modern music. For this soundtrack background music for a film, Chandu won the President of India award at New Delhi's film festival. He was then chosen to represent India in the 1992 International Music Festival in Melbourne.
Nine year ago he married pooja, who was due to become a Ministry of education student in Japan. Chandu began his regular trips to Tokyo, to join his wife at frequent intervals, and to perform nationwide here. Somtimes he included in his presentations a tabla player and a dancer. In Okinawa at an International Music Festival he was accompanied by Japanese players. He has featured Japanese drums along with his sitar, and sought sessions with groups of Japanese schoolchildren to propagate Indian culture through dance drama and music . He maintain his concert touring of Australia, and back in India has commitments as visiting professor at the Shivaji university and the University of Pune.
This last year, Chandu collaborated iwth Kelvin Brown of Australia to produce a music album, "East Light." This collection of 12 songs combines poetry with music, and philosophies that "we come from different lands but write the truth with the same hand." The title track says ," It is the light from the East which brings the voices of prophets, eternal wisdom, stories of lifetimes, of many births, of many dreams," For this album, Chandu set out to prove his mastery of ancient Indian music, and to relate music to lyric poetry.
Indian sitarist Chandrakant Sardeshmukh projects joy, a lightness of spirit. Slightly built and curly haired, he says he ownes his radiance and openness to his music,"my life and breath." In his slow quiet voice he explains that his wandering life is not at all difficult. "It is a pleasure he said. "It is a great thing for me."
