I met Vidwan S Shankar in 1991 in connection with a music programme.
The brief conversation I had with him then has always remained with me. It epitomised his relationship with his accompanists. “I want the same facilities for them.
I will travel in whichever compartment they do. The same applies to our accommodation!”
His comment left me stunned. Here was an artiste who was not ready to assign them a lesser role. It was not a request for parity. It showed his deeper understanding of music where there are no hierarchies. The violin, the mridangam, the ghatam, the kanjira all contribute to make that perfect ensemble in a kutcheri where the singer actually speaks to his accompanists, and where the audience is continuously treated to this lively dialogue.
A true artiste
Shankar needs no introduction to music aficionados. His rich voice, added to his faultless rendering of sahitya, makes his singing an extraordinary experience. His kutcheries are meticulously planned where raagas are not repeated and the context is appropriate.
Shankar has never played to the galleries, nor tried to produce “effects” on his audiences. I have heard him in different settings and find the same kind of balance and harmony in all his presentations.
Despite being in this profession for more than four decades, he does not use “the tricks of the trade” to elicit instant applause from his audience. His music is striking for its dignity, simplicity and sincerity. Here is an artiste who approaches his art with humility and devotion. Who truly believes that music is a sacred experience, something that should not be trivialised.
It is not surprising that Shankar has been chosen as the Asthaana Vidwan of both the Avani Sharada Sringeri Peetam and the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. His music is an offering to divinity.
Belonging to a family of musicians, he was instructed in the basics of Carnatic music by his own mother, Rajamma Sastry. Shankar became the disciple of Guru Vallabham Kalyana Sundaram when he was 12 years old.
She was an inspiring teacher whose teaching skills have also been passed on to him. Her method of exposing him to other musicians and her insistence on kelvi has rubbed off on this musician-teacher who has trained students for the last 22 years, including his own son, Ramani Shankar, who now performs independently. When he says: “Let him learn to sing in his own right,” Shankar has set a benchmark for all musicians and played down the concept of professional rivalry, which is the bane of classical music today. His advice to young musicians, including his own students, is straightforward.
Far from competition
“Cultivate good habits. Take care of your health. Above all, take good care of your mental health.” These are golden words spoken by a mature and disciplined artiste to younger musicians who suffer frayed nerves and highly-strung temperaments in a milieu that is highly competitive to reach great heights.
His own life is a good example. A master’s degree in Maths, a routine bureaucratic career — to my question “why not a musical one?” — he flicked his fingers indicating the need for a steady income. But, he was still able to satisfy his passion for music despite a nine to five job, and did not sacrifice one for the other.
“I would listen to the great musicians in the evening and come home to perch on an improvised platform and imitate them singing Ksheera Saagara Shayanaa….!” recollects Shankar. The cup that he received from Ariakudi is a prized possession even today. His role models in music?
“K V Narayaswamy for his neraval; R K Srikantan for his balance and proportion; Balamurali who really understands music — he is the greatest.” His choice of musicians speaks a lot for his own art.
An artiste who does not mind singing for the theatre or performing a jugalbandhi, Shankar has also written on music and musicians like Sadashiva Brahmendra and Mysore Vasudevacharya. He attributes the success of his many-sided musical career to the latter’s musicologist grandson, S Krishnamurthy, among others.
In our brief conversation, one thing became clear. Shankar has no reservations about remembering and expressing his gratitude to the number of people who influenced his career. This also spoke volumes about the man behind his music. When he rounded off this interview with a short but lively alapana in Karaharapriya, I knew I had met an artiste whose art certainly deserved to be recognised.