Hindustani Classical Vocal
I am very passionate about Music and I have been trained in Hindustani Classical Vocal (Indian Classical Vocal) up to 4th year. It has been over 14 years since I discontinued my training in Indian Classical Vocals and often contemplate completing it and getting the degree.
Let me take you through my journey of pursuing music. I started learning Indian Classical Vocals with my sister, when we were in class 1, from a teacher in Bhubaneswar. He was the best teacher of music that we have come across till now. He taught us the basics of Swars, Alankars, and Alaaps. He was too patient in teaching the subtlety of music when we were naive as toddlers. I am so grateful to him. My father purchased a Harmonium and our teacher would play with that Harmonium. He taught us how to play Sa Re Ga Ma and from then our journey of exploring Harmonium began. Over the years, I and my sister experimented with the keys of the Harmonium to play various songs.
When we moved to Kanpur, we enrolled ourselves in a music class where we learned for the next 5 years. Our teacher was teaching the course of Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai. So, we became a part of ABGMV, Mumbai. In those 5 years, we completed the course up to 3rd year and wrote exams. I received the distinction in Vocal for all three years and aggregate distinction for the first year. Those were the times during early 2000s when we completely immersed ourselves in the flow of classical music and refrained from ourselves singing anything which was not related to classical music. We came across music teachers in school who became guiding lights in our pursuit of music. We had to discontinue learning music as our teacher moved to another city and academic commitments took priority.
In my spare time, I practice music. It’s a pure nectar of joy for me. I pick up old Bollywood songs with classical touch to learn. Now, the question arises, is it possible to learn classical music from where I had left off? The answer is No, for me. Classical music is like a vast sea and a teacher is like a sailor who has the experience of sailing through the sea. For a learner, it’s very easy to get lost in the flood of availability of excess material and the search for the right guidance.
I wish and pray that I get a Guru who will help me to pursue music in its purest form.
P.S: You can listen to my recordings on Smule and Youtube Channel.
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Swati Sarangi
08.04.2023
