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Hitting the high note

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HIS FATHER'S SON Rahul Sharma: "My father would not have brought me onto stage if I didn't have potential"

Rahul Sharma has bloomed into an exciting musician thanks to the trust his illustrious father, Shivkumar Sharma placed in him

Pass him on the street, and you would probably notice the sculpted jaw or the impressive physique rather than the slender, musically inclined fingers. You would easily be forgiven for wondering if he's the next fresh face on television or the one that's setting the local ramps on fire. "Repackaging is necessary nowadays," he admits. "Content is the first priority, but sales also matter. If an artiste is saleable and can become an icon, then that's great." And so you have Rahul Sharma, who can not only mesmerise you with his smile, but also grab and hold you with the magic he creates on the santoor. "It was never really inevitable for me to become a santoor player," points out Rahul, who performed in Bangalore recently to commemorate the 10th anniversary of People For Animals. In fact, he didn't pick up the santoor until the age of 12. Even then, his interest was primarily in composing new music. "The santoor was always at the back of my mind, but my mother wanted me to go abroad to study, so I was learnt economics and music. In college I realised that the santoor is an awesome instrument and since I had a guru at home I started playing it seriously." Rahulbegan by giving concerts with his illustrious father, Shivkumar Sharma.

Multitasking musician

To this day, he doesn't consider himself a classical musician, but rather a musician who multitasks, simultaneously working on Indian classical music, fusion projects and new age albums. Thus, while he doesn't consider it necessary to dilute the classical traditions, Rahul, finds it wise to change with the times. "Forty years ago, there was only one radio station and it was a big thing to be featured on it. But today there are more than a hundred channels and it is good to repackage oneself." For those that argue that such repackaging erodes the quality of music, Rahul counters: "A musician can't live unless he is satisfied with the music he plays. And why would listeners return if they are not satisfied." About the pressures of comparison, Rahul says: "Those are always there, but does that mean you shy away. What is life without a challenge? Besides, comparatively, it took fifty years for an icon to become such an icon, and it has been only 10 years since the young musician began establishing himself. So the comparison is silly, but inevitable." One of the primary pillars of support for Rahul has been his father's trust in him. "My father would not have brought me onto stage if I didn't have potential. A guru knows what a student is capable of and how far he will go." And Rahul has certainly come far. At an age when most people are still finding their roots, he has already shown enough spark and talent to catch the eye of the best musicians, playing with the likes of Zakir Hussain, Richard Clayderman and John Mclaughlin. "It is very humbling, and you learn a lot not just about music but also about life. Many of the music greats are such simple people for whom the ego hardly matters. It is very inspiring to see where they come from and how far they've reached, and meeting them ignites that passion in you too," he says.Looking to the future, Rahul asserts that he sees the popularity of the santoor growing despite the lack of traditional moorings that other more conventional instruments enjoy. The santoor, he points out, is now an integral part of every musical festival, and has gained pride of place. As for himself, Rahul is content pushing the boundaries of his talent with creations such as Maya The Illusion and Ladakh: In Search of Buddha.RAKESH MEHAR




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