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About myself by Alokesh Chandra
Who am I? What is real? Where is my Home? I was looking for the answers since my
childhood intuitively, even before the questions could be formulated. After some desperate
time, my search took me to India and there I experienced it: instead of trying to look within
from outside, I have entered the within and found that the answers were always there in my
heart, but invisible, I couldn't express them. Then everything has changed, I have found my
path: the inexpressible could now be expressed and directly experienced by playing the sitar.
It was like awakening. Initially, I was fascinated by the sound of sitar. The rich possibilities of
emotional expression through the medium of Indian classical music, which offers unlimited
scope for improvising were inspiring, but the real discovery started in 1996 with my sitar
training in Calcutta under the renowned sitar player Pt.Shyamal Chatterji, who follows the
traditional way of teaching: the knowledge is never passed on from the guru to his students
in a recorded form. The ability to express the feelings and to improvise is acquired through
individual lessons, memorizing and a lot of hard practice. The deep spirituality of Indian
classical music has opened many new doors in my heart and sitar became my love and my
life. After 4 years of studying I was sent for further training to the sitar maestro Pt.Ravi
Shankar, who's music has given me the initial inspiration for taking the sitar. It was a biggest
blessing for me, when in the year 2000 Pt.Ravi Shankar has accepted me as a student. I
have been given a great privilege to take lessons from the master in Delhi and London.
I had my first public performance in 1999 and have been performing in Europe, India and the
Middle East. Through my music I try to express the universal Spiritual Power, which I had
experienced while staying in India and during the training with my masters.
childhood intuitively, even before the questions could be formulated. After some desperate
time, my search took me to India and there I experienced it: instead of trying to look within
from outside, I have entered the within and found that the answers were always there in my
heart, but invisible, I couldn't express them. Then everything has changed, I have found my
path: the inexpressible could now be expressed and directly experienced by playing the sitar.
It was like awakening. Initially, I was fascinated by the sound of sitar. The rich possibilities of
emotional expression through the medium of Indian classical music, which offers unlimited
scope for improvising were inspiring, but the real discovery started in 1996 with my sitar
training in Calcutta under the renowned sitar player Pt.Shyamal Chatterji, who follows the
traditional way of teaching: the knowledge is never passed on from the guru to his students
in a recorded form. The ability to express the feelings and to improvise is acquired through
individual lessons, memorizing and a lot of hard practice. The deep spirituality of Indian
classical music has opened many new doors in my heart and sitar became my love and my
life. After 4 years of studying I was sent for further training to the sitar maestro Pt.Ravi
Shankar, who's music has given me the initial inspiration for taking the sitar. It was a biggest
blessing for me, when in the year 2000 Pt.Ravi Shankar has accepted me as a student. I
have been given a great privilege to take lessons from the master in Delhi and London.
I had my first public performance in 1999 and have been performing in Europe, India and the
Middle East. Through my music I try to express the universal Spiritual Power, which I had
experienced while staying in India and during the training with my masters.
For me, music is the path of unlimited pleasure, divine in nature, leading towards
the eternity. If one can ever reach the extreme in this way, one will find all seven
notes merging into the eternal ocean of Oneness. When I play sitar I become one
with the melody and the rhythm. I just can not explain the exquisite pleasure I get
when i merge with this Oneness. It is like a wonderful mixture of all emotions:
happiness, sorrow, love, humor, sadness, joy all flow together through my heart
and I feel like laughing and crying at thesame moment. I try to share it with my
listeners. At the concert, receptive and concentrated listener would feel the same,
no matter which country or culture they belong to. I believe that Indian classical
music is a universal language, which can be understood by sincere and
open-minded listeners of any nation. This music purifies the mind, teaches about
love and humanity and helps us to see the Truth. It is through music that I feel
closest to my real Self.
the eternity. If one can ever reach the extreme in this way, one will find all seven
notes merging into the eternal ocean of Oneness. When I play sitar I become one
with the melody and the rhythm. I just can not explain the exquisite pleasure I get
when i merge with this Oneness. It is like a wonderful mixture of all emotions:
happiness, sorrow, love, humor, sadness, joy all flow together through my heart
and I feel like laughing and crying at thesame moment. I try to share it with my
listeners. At the concert, receptive and concentrated listener would feel the same,
no matter which country or culture they belong to. I believe that Indian classical
music is a universal language, which can be understood by sincere and
open-minded listeners of any nation. This music purifies the mind, teaches about
love and humanity and helps us to see the Truth. It is through music that I feel
closest to my real Self.
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