Bangalore based Hindustani musician Dattatreya L Velankar, (Gwalior-Kirana Gharana) is an exponent of Khayals. Gifted with a rich and graceful voice, his exquisite rendition style has won him many critical acclaims, both in India and abroad. In this interview, he speaks to India Art Review about his musical journey, his approach to raga selection and rendition, and the need of building a community of learners and listeners.
Can you tell us about your journey into music and how you started?
I come from a musical family. My father, Lakshmandas Velankar, was a kirtankar (a performer of kirtan, a musical discourse similar to Harikatha or Namasankirtanam). I grew up listening to my father, his guru Bhadrigiri Achudas, and his brother Keshav Das. Keshav Das, a world-famous kirtankar, used to perform in English and Hindi, travelling extensively in the US and other countries.
I am originally from Mangalapuram, but grew up in Bangalore. For high school, I returned to Mangalapuram and stayed at the Ramakrishna Ashram. There, we had daily bhajans in the evening, and for special occasions, I would lead the student group. Swamiji Jitakamananda at the ashram encouraged me to pursue music and perform harikatha, which I did during my childhood.
After completing my 10th grade in 1993, I moved back to Bangalore. My father and others suggested I learn from Pandit Vinayak Torvi (Gwalior-Kirana Gharana). That’s how my journey with him began 31 years ago. My guruji is a Gwalior-Kirana vocalist who learned from Gayanacharya Guru Rao Deshpande in Dharwad and later from Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. Through this connection, I had the opportunity to sit with Bhimsen Joshi twice for a concert.
Musicians usually follow one gharana. But your guru follows the Gwalior-Kirana gharana. Isn’t it a bit difficult to learn these two styles together?
My personal experience and perspective is that gharana-specific training usually comes after 10-12 years of basic training. It involves learning finer nuances. Generally, a classical musician’s individual style emerges after about 25 years of training.
Initially, when I joined Guruji, we didn’t discuss gharanas or how different styles present ragas. For the first seven or eight years, I simply learned and practised what he taught.
Guruji taught me both Gwalior and Kirana styles. As I began my individual practice and reflection, I started to recognise the distinctions. Each gharana specialises in certain aspects of music presentation. For example, Gwalior is known for its “ashtapailu” or eight-dimensional presentation. They excel in composition and raga structure, and they sing most ragas. Kirana, on the other hand, might have an affinity for specific ragas like Shudh Kalyan, Miyan Ki Todi, etc.
When we learned from Guru, it was already blended. It’s like getting a ready-to-cook meal. I followed what he taught. Later, I realised, “Oh, he mixed Gwalior and Kirana here,” or “This part is pure Gwalior.” Guruji had experimented for 20-25 years before developing his style.
You are also an expert in Kathakirtan. Isn’t that more distinct, with a lineage closer to Carnatic music?
Kathakirtan is a unique and extraordinary art form, unfortunately declining now. Unlike pure music, where you communicate only through sound, Kathakirtan allows communication through speech, storytelling, humour, social messages, and music. It includes dramatic elements and abhinaya (expressive gestures), which helps prevent the monotony that can sometimes occur in classical music performances.
I did my PhD on “The Influence of Indian Classical Music on Kathakirtan”. I approached it as Indian classical music, including both Hindustani and Carnatic styles. In Maharashtra, Goa, and northern Karnataka, Hindustani music is present in Kathakirtan. So, I studied both traditions.
My research guide was Vidushi Dr. Meera Rajaram, a Carnatic vocalist from the lineage of Dr. Muthaiah Bhagavatar, who performed both Kathakalakshepam and classical music. Initially, due to my Hindustani training, I wasn’t familiar with Carnatic traditions. But I learned a lot during my research, including about Muthaiah Bhagavatar from a book my guide had written.
Your music is very expressive and emotive. When you approach a raga, how do you connect with the audience? What are you looking for?
For me, if I’m enjoying the performance, that enjoyment naturally spreads to everyone. If I’m not enjoying it, the audience can’t enjoy it either. So, I focus on immersing myself in the raga presentation. I don’t think about whether there are ten people or 1,500 in the audience.
Most artists don’t explicitly think about the audience. When the actual music starts, we don’t consciously think about who’s in the audience. The communication happens automatically. For instance, I observe some people’s reactions, which show me that what I’m doing is reaching them. Once that communication is established, I try to build on it.
These days, classical music concert durations are much shorter. How do you compress a raga for short-duration performances?
This compression comes from my Guruji’s training and experience. For example, when performing on Akashvani (All India Radio), we only get 28 minutes. You can’t ask for more time; they’ll cut you off after 28 minutes. So, we learn to present a condensed version of the raga, like having a small sample of various dishes instead of a full meal.
However, there are still many baithaks (intimate gatherings) in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, etc., where there’s no time restriction. I remember attending my Guruji’s concerts in Delhi, where the minimum duration was 4 hours, and some lasted up to 6 or 6.5 hours. People still enjoy and attend these longer performances.
There is a perception that Carnatic music is less focused on shruti than Hindustani. How do you see this?
I would actually disagree. I’ve seen many Carnatic musicians sing with excellent shruti shuddha (purity of pitch). For example, Vidwan Shankar, who is my Guruji’s age and like a guru-brother to me, sings with impeccable shruti.
I think the difference might be in the approach. It’s like driving a car – if you’re too focused on one side, you might not see the other. Carnatic musicians are very focused on the mathematical aspects and talam (rhythmic structure), which might affect the perception of their shruti. But I’ve heard many Carnatic musicians with excellent shruti.
One difference is that Hindustani singers often use a harmonium, while Carnatic singers typically use only the tanpura. In Carnatic music, the violin accompaniment doesn’t play continuously, leaving gaps, whereas in Hindustani music, the gap is very small, and there’s always some pitched reference.
You’ve also done jugalbandi (duet performances) with Carnatic musicians. How do you choose ragas and compositions for the same?
Yes, I’ve done jugalbandi with Vidwan Balasubramaniam Sharma and a few others from Bangalore. We choose a common raga, though it’s never exactly 100% the same between the two systems. For example, in Puriya Kalyan (Hindustani), we emphasise or land more on nishad (7th note), while in the Carnatic equivalent, their jiva swara (emphasized note) is dhaivat (6th note). We make these adjustments but present our respective styles cordially. It’s not a competition about who sings for how long, but a harmonious collaboration.
We generally choose ragas that are common to both systems, like Dwijavanti/Jaijawanti, Bhairav, Lalita/Yaman, or Kalyani/Yaman. We’ve also tried Bhoop, but it requires careful handling because in Hindustani, we have related ragas like Deskar with slight variations.
Do you feel that the audience culture for classical music in India is not as mature as in the West?
I don’t think so. In my experience, Indian audiences for classical music are quite mature and appreciative. I think the difference is in the social and cultural background of the audience. In the West, if a concert is scheduled for one hour, it lasts exactly one hour. Here, a one-hour concert might last one and a half hours, and everybody enjoys it.
I remember an instance when Guruji was singing in Bangalore, and two people who had come from Mumbai forgot about their train timing because they were so immersed in the music. They decided to take the next train instead. That kind of passion is unique to our audience.
We may not have the same etiquette as Western audiences, but we have a deep cultural connection (samskara) to the music. It’s also worth noting that the venues we perform in, like temples, can affect audience behaviour. In some temples, there might be bells ringing or people coming and going.
How do we build a good audience?
We need to build a music community by actively teaching and promoting music. When we have around 50 students learning music, harmonium, and tabla, and we arrange a concert, these students and their families attend. This naturally helps us grow a community and create an audience.
Moreover, learning music has numerous psychological benefits, especially for children. It promotes calmness and enhances concentration. We often blame children for their lack of focus, but we don’t provide them with the right tools. Teaching music, or any art form like drawing, can address this issue. I’ve observed that children who are exposed to music at home show much better concentration levels compared to others.
Not everyone can become a professional musician, and that’s perfectly fine. However, by teaching music, we can nurture future audiences. Years down the line, these children will come to our concerts. We often lament that audiences are dwindling, but we forget that audience members come from our own society, not from elsewhere. It’s up to us to build and cultivate our audience.