As a child I remember my mornings starting with the sound of The Droné, (Acoustic Tanpur), playing in my ears….
As usual, it used to be Usha Didi conducting her" Riyaaz" as early as 5 A.M.!
While the vapours of steaming hot tea merged into the sky, the whole “Kayenät” would echo with the sound of Classical (Hindustani) music on the radio…
Early mornings of Delhi winters…half asleep in my quilt as warm as a mother’s womb…I would wake up amidst the whispers of Mummy & Papa plans for the arising day, while the radio played out spiritual song…Songs that fast disappeared into the thick blankets of the Delhi fog…
The seeds of good music were sown then and there into my heart & soul…
After learning the basics from my eldest sister at home, I took to formal training at the Gandharva Maha-Vidhyalaya for six years, from ’76 to ’82, where I had the opportunity to learn from Shri Vasant Thakar, Pandit Vinay Chandra Mudgal and Shri Madhup Mudgal…In November 1982, I finally met my eternal Guru Pandit Amarnath Ji (a very dear “Shagirdh” of Ustäd Amir Khan Sahab of Indore Gharana) who trained me in specialised “Gharana” singing…After my Guruji’s sad demise in 1996, I continued learning from his senior disciple Shushri Amarjeet Kaur in Delhi…
I’ve been performing since childhood…shifted bases from Delhi to Bombay in ’91…Still there…