Age is just a number until you meet S Hariharan, and suddenly it seems all your excuses for not being a better version of yourself have deserted you. At 92, he is perhaps India’s oldest and still performing flautists and will be launching his debut album this Diwali.
Titled Gems of Carnatic Music, the album features compositions by Muthuswami Dikshitar, Thyagaraja, Shyama Shastri, Swathi Thirunal, Papanasam Sivan and others, presented in Hariharan’s unique style.
Talking to Hariharan is a fascinating cross between history, culture and music. Born in 1933, he has lived through World War II and blackouts, witnessed the Independence struggle, and participated with musicians, artistes and freethinkers in the nation building that followed.
How many people today can say they have met both Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi? Or accompanied some of leading dancers of all time such as Meenakshi Sheshadri, Padma Subramaniam, Vani Ganapati, Radha and Raja Reddy and others?
“I have been blessed to hear greats such as G N Balasubramaniam, Chowdiah and Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar accompanied by mridangist Palakkad Mani Iyer before microphones became common. They sang in halls and temples where the acoustics were brilliant and iron pots were strategically placed so the sound could reverberate,” says Hariharan.
Humble beginnings
The sprightly artiste was born inAmbalapuzhaand grew up hearing devotional hymns from the nearby Sree Krishna SwamyTemple. By age 11, he had learnt to play the flute and by the time he was 13, Hariharan was a regular at the evening darshan. As his interest grew, he would make the arduoustrip by bus to learn from his elder sister Ganabhooshanam Annapurni Ammalwho taught at the Swati Tirunal College of Music in Thiruvananthapuram.
Flautist S Hariharan
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Special Arrangement
He was besotted by flute maestro TR Mahalingam and would follow his schedule whenever possible, sitting behind him on the stage, providing the essential backdrop with the tanpura and taala. “Over 70% of my learning was in this way, and that included learning and unlearning a lot I had picked up over the years,” says Hariharan.
He adds that he changed his fingering technique while he was in his late 30s and transitioned from shorter flutes commonly used in South India to the longer ones employed in the Hindustani style of music. Hariharan was introduced to this instrument by the late Devaprasad Bannerjee, a Hindustani flautist from Kolkata.
“The answer to everything is practice,” he says, when talking about the process of unlearning.
“This is no small feat as you have to get used to spacing your fingers wider on the instrument. While most musicians slept with corks between their fingers to achieve this, my father would just keep playing till he got it right,” says Srinath, who occasionally accompanies Hariharan on the violin.
One of the first-ever flute jugalbandis in Carnatic and Hindustani music was between Hariharan and Devaprasad.
Making music
The flute and music is not all there is to Hariharan. An engineer by profession, he also worked at Kolkata’s Kalamandalam teaching Carnatic music including the sitar, flute, violin and vocals. He also lectured on Carnatic music at Rabindra Bharati University, following his retirement. During the four decades he spent in the city, he kept performing, earning the moniker ‘Flute Hariharan’ as he was the only Carnatic flautist in Kolkata for the longest time.
Flautist S Hariharan
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Special Arrangement
He also directed multiple dance dramas such as Kalidas’ poems, Jayadeva’s Ashtapathi, Dasavatar of Lord Vishnu, and Ashtalaskhmi which were aired on Doordarshan in the course of his career.
Hariharan received two fellowships from the Government of India. The first was a comparative study of flute fingering techniques in Carnatic and Hindustani music, and the second, was on the 72 melakarta ragas.
Undying passion
Hariharan carries his flute wherever he goes. “In the past 40 years, there has hardly been a day when I have not heard my father practise his music,” says Srinath. “Even the day after a surgical procedure, my father played the flute from his hospital bed, and the nurses opened the door to his room so the melody could soothe nearby patients as well.”
While he was in his 70s, Hariharan beat cancer and he credits his recovery to the power of staying positive, healthy living, meditation and journalling.
In the three decades since, Hariharan has kept busy and his latest project is this debut album. Titled Gems of Carnatic Music, the album is testament to Hariharan’s amazing zest for life and an undying passion for his music.
At 92, Hariharan is still an ardent yoga practitioner, performing some of the more difficult asanas such as the Matsyasana, Kurmasana, Sarvangasana and Naulion a daily basis. “I began practising yoga at the age of nine. I was a sickly child and would follow my elder brother SM Iyer as he practised yoga,” he says, adding that he found it helped his breath control whilst playing the flute too.
Gems
While it can be argued that launching an album is rather ambitious at this age, Hariharan says there is a reason behind the move. “Gems is a collection of my favourite songs presented to my family, friends and well-wishers to enjoy without the constraint of time. The selection might be eclectic, but if you are satisfied within, audiences will enjoy your work. While Bollywood is for leisure and enjoyment, the pieces in Gems bring internal satisfaction.”
Flautist S Hariharan
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Special Arrangement
Srinath adds, “Concerts are tailored to audience specifications — traditional, devotional, upbeat and the like. The album has his favourites from a wide range of genres most of which are not played together in a concert.”
According to Srinath, the recording process astonished everyone present. “Unlike a live performance, recording in a studio can be unforgiving as every sound is captured from a sharp intake of breath to a muttered aside. Besides, once recorded, that error remains captured for posterity.”
And yet, Hariharan recorded all 14 pieces in five hours at a stretch without a single retake. “I took a few breaks between songs to have some water and fruit. All those breathing techniques from my yoga routine stood me in good stead. Since I was there, I thought I’d might as well complete my part for the album,” laughs Hariharan.
Others who are part of the album include mridangam maestro Kulur Jayachandra Rao.
Tech and collab
Unlike many others his age, or even those younger, Hariharan does not shirk from technology. His parents are “quite YouTube-savvy,” says Srinath. Hariharan and his wife Kamala, who is a Carnatic vocalist, scour the social media platform for talented youngsters they can mentor.
For instance, the family uploaded their rendition of the Lalitha Shastranamam on YouTube. The devotional hymn comprising 183 verses with 75 ragas and five talas is a complex affair as the raga changes the every second verse. Hariharan and Kamala were joined by Srinath and his wife Shobha, also a Carnatic vocalist.
Hariharan brushes off any qualms about AI edging out musicians and their ilk. “I welcome any tool that helps preserve or share our music. A machine can calculate tala cycles perfectly, but Carnatic music is an affair of the heart. As long as we cultivate artistes who pour their lives into each note, our tradition will thrive alongside technology.”
“AI is the brain while music is the heart. Use it to make your work better, but do not rely on it.”
Gems is slated to be out by Diwali and post that, Hariharan will be giving his ideas for an Indian Blues album a whirl. “We met with an artist while we were performing at an event for World Music Day. My father was intrigued by the guitar work and felt the notes shared a similarity. He wanted to explore this further and is now working on this Carnatic-Blues project,” says Srinath.
Admitting that the average age at a Carnatic concert is 50-plus, Hariharan believes collaborations reach a wider audience. “Do not compromise on the structure, lyrics or raga, rather collaborate on the medium or genre. Keep the roots intact but present it in different ways that more people will relate to. For instance, try Carnatic music on an unconventional instrument, but do not compromise on its soul.”
Updates on the album release can be found on @srinath.hariharan
