|
 Born
in 1959 into a musically dedicated family, Shubha
Mudgal has received her training from some of
the finest musicians and musicologists in India. Trained
initially as a Khayal singer by Pandit Ram Ashreya
Jha in Allahabad, her place of birth, Shubha later
moved to Delhi where she received the guidance of
Pandit Vinay Chandra Maudgalya and Pandit
Vasant Thakar. She went on to polish her stylistic
techniques from well-known maestro Pt. Kumar Gandharva.
She also received training in thumri from Guru
Smt. Naina Devi and is thus one of the most versatile
and popular performers of the new generation of Hindustani
musicians.
She has composed music for dancers like Sonal Mansingh,
Aditi Mangaldas, Prerna Shrimali. She has also
received the Best Music Direction Award in
1996 by the National Film Festival for Meera Diwan's
Amrit Beej. She has also composed signature
tunes for television serials and films. She has been
the composer for special occasions such as The British
Museum's inauguration of the Padshah Nama exhibition.
Recently she has worked with film directors such as
Mira Nair (for Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love)
and Rajan Khosa (for Dance of the Wind) to
be released by Pandora Films, Germany.
You have experimented in different styles
of music, though first and foremost you are a classical
musician. What drives you to do these experiments
- to find a new meaning to music or just commercial
considerations?
 Let
me start by saying that I consider the suggestion
that I would experiment with music driven purely by
"commercial considerations" an insult to
my sincerity and integrity as a musician. As a professional
musician, I earn my livelihood through music but I
make the music I present driven purely by artistic
compulsions, and not because of the money it will
bring me. It is therefore my curiosity about other
styles and forms that led me to experiment with musical
forms that are not classical.
Despite starting quite late in life, you have
scaled heights of success. What are the factors that
helped you to achieve such levels of success?
I was able to study music because of the complete
support and encouragement I received from my parents.
The sound academic education they provided me with,
and the selflessness with which they supported my
study and pursuit of music is something that I can
never stop thanking them for. My father passed away
in 1996, but my mother continues to be one of my severest
critics, but at the same time, I can count on her
help and support at all times.
What are the new projects you are working on
currently? A little description about them.
I recently recorded five songs for a new album that
focuses on women's issues. The lyrics are by Prasoon
Joshi and the composer is Shantanu Moitra
and with Virgin records slated to launch the album;
it will be the Ab Ke Sawan team once again!
Antara Chowdhury exquisitely renders other
songs on this album, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Rukma Devi and
Diwali ben Bhil. I have also been working hard on
Raagsangeet, a section on North Indian classical
music that I manage with my colleague and husband,
Aneesh Pradhan for a music website called www.induslive.com.
My own riyaaz and study, teaching and writing goes
on constantly giving me an opportunity to better my
understanding of music.
Since the time you did your 'pop' albums Ali
More Angana and Ab Ke Sawan, you suddenly became a
very popular name all over India. Do you think classical
artistes should get closer to people through such
popular music and then take classical music closer
to them later? Can it be a mode to popularize classical
music too?
I cannot speak for others but my motive in singing
pop music was not to find a new audience among people
who do not appreciate classical music. You see, an
alaap or taan thrown into a pop song can never give
the listener an authentic idea of classical music.
So I don't think that bringing classical musicians
to experiment with popular music will really help
the cause of classical music. Classical music can
be promoted only when all of us, i.e. artistes, music
lovers, organizers, sponsors and patrons, and the
media, decide to accept our responsibility towards
it. Currently, classical music is only given pride
of place when we want to put our 5,000-year-old culture
on display at some Festival of India. At other times,
it is treated with condescension and given a 30-minute
slot on one of the innumerable television channels
at six in the morning or late at night. And to justify
the slot everybody conveniently says that it cannot
be given prime time slotting because there are no
sponsors forthcoming. We have to get rid of our hypocritical
attitude towards classical music if we really wish
to promote it.
Looking back, when you started out did you
ever think that you will become a celebrity like you
are today?
You are calling me a celebrity but I feel I am just
one of countless students of music. When I began learning
music, it was because I fell in love with music and
felt a compulsive need for it in my life. This passion
for music is a part of my life, and will remain so
irrespective of the recognition it may bring me.
You composed music for at least one film. How
was the experience? Are you involved with/planning
to do any more film music in the near future?
Composing for films is a challenge on many counts.
As a classical musician, one tends to work on one's
own. But for a film, one has to work with a team,
and compose according to the demands of the script
and the team working on the film. Composing original
background score is also a very challenging task and
although I have very little experience in this area,
I feel I learnt a lot from the one or two occasions
when I was called upon to do so. I have sung for some
films, and will do so in the future too selectively.
What made you appear in the music videos of
your songs - a secret urge to act or just a fad like
all other singers who also appear in their music videos?
When a singer signs a contract with a recording company
for an album, an important clause in the contract
demands that the artiste will make herself available
for promotional activities which may also involve
the shooting of a video. However, the decision to
include a singer in the video is taken by the video
director and the producers. In fact, all decisions
such as inclusion of the artiste's photograph on the
cover are taken by the recording company or producers.
The first cover jacket for Ali More Angana
did not even have my photograph on it, as I believe
the company felt that I was too ugly. On the other
hand Pradeep Sarkar, who directed the videos for Ab
Ke Sawan, was determined to feature me in the
videos. Rajshri Music decided to feature Malaika Arora
for the videos of Pyar ke Geet. Personally,
I am very happy to restrict my participation in an
album to the sound recording, and would prefer not
to be in the video.
A little bit about your earlier years - when
you started out, were you sure that you will take
music as a career? How was your family's attitude?
As you already know, I began studying music quite
late, at the unusually late age of approximately 17
years. But having begun my taleem it seemed obvious
that I would be happiest doing music. It was my mother
who suggested that I should think seriously about
making music my life's work. I have already told you
how my parents supported me unstintingly in my study
of music.
You are running a website on classical music.
Tell us a little bit about it - its concept, how it
began etc.
In 1996, I began planning the launch of a website
on Indian classical music with a multimedia designer
called Ani Gupta. However, it was only in June 1997
that we managed to launch the site, by which time
Aneesh Pradhan had joined our team. Ani looked after
the design and Aneesh and I developed the content.
We had no sponsors, and financed everything ourselves
from our personal resources. However, generous contributions
in the form of articles and music came voluntarily
from several musicians such as Shruti Sadolikar Katkar
(Vocal), Ulhas Bapat (Santoor), Rajendra Prasanna
(Shehnai and Flute), Anuradha Pal (Tabla), Akram Khan
(Tabla), and Satish Vyas (Santoor), along with a host
of accompanying artistes. However, lack of adequate
infrastructure and funds forced us to withdraw the
site temporarily. Now, we have once again launched
Raagsangeet as a section on North Indian classical
music on a larger music portal called Induslive.com.
How would you describe the Indian popular non-film
music scene today?
While the Indian popular music scene today offers
the largest number of opportunities to artistes, it
is also beset with many problems that require serious
consideration from all concerned. Some of the issues
and areas that require review and rethinking are:
a) While new talent is being discovered and promoted
by recording companies, not enough importance is being
given to the artiste's musicianship. The overwhelming
importance given to music videos often results in
selection of artistes who look better than they perform.
If only the exorbitant amounts spent on music videos
could be channeled towards the sound recording, we
would have better repertoire that is properly developed,
and much better sound recordings as well. b) Not enough
encouragement is given to originality. We are all
witness to a seemingly never-ending deluge of songs
and albums that are so similar that very often it's
difficult to figure out one from the other. Even the
videos look suspiciously similar with the almost the
same dancers, in similar costumes, doing the same
dance movements. And yet, neither the listeners nor
the recording companies seem to get enough of these
near-clones. In the meantime, artistes who are trying
to develop an original sound and style are left out
in the cold to fend for themselves. c) While singers
and performers are promoted by companies, composers,
producers and lyricists do not get enough attention.
A good song or album has an entire team that is behind
its success, and therefore each member of the team
must get his or her due. Musicians who have played
on the album too must be acknowledged, as their inputs
are valuable for the music. d) Piracy and exploitation
of artistes who are largely unaware of their rights
are other issues that are needed to be addressed at
the earliest.
What is that one thing about it that disturbs
you?
The support and encouragement being given to mediocrity.
Who are the singers in different genre whom
you admire?
My preference is for classical music and there are
many musicians whom I admire in this genre: Pt. Kumar
Gandharva, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, and Smt. Siddheshwari
Devi, Begum Akhtar, Ustad Amir Khan, Smt. Kishori
Amonkar and many others. The list is long because
each artiste actually has a musical perspective that
I feel I can learn from.
What is your dream as a musician?
Music has enriched my life, and been my constant companion
through thick and thin. I hope it remains my companion
to the end of my life.
How would you like to be remembered in Indian
Music history?
I cannot hope to be remembered if I do not do anything
memorable. At present, my efforts though sincere and
whole-hearted are not enough to merit any special
mention in the history of Indian music.
-Jyoti Narang
Pics: Deepa Parekh
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