An event in celebration of Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia’s 70th birthday and to commemorate his contribution to the world of music in conversation with Sonu Niigaam, with the release of the legend’s biography by the Guest of Honour Amitabh Bachchan was held at the Nehru Centre in Mumbai on July 1.
The students of Vrindaban Gurukul held a unique open birthday celebration of their guru and flute maestro Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia and provided an opportunity for his friends, music lovers and fans to get a closer glimpse of him, his life and his music.
For a man who mostly chooses to speak through the melodic tunes of his bansuri and his music, this was a rare and unique occasion to get up close and personal with his audiences as he was quizzed by India’s youth icon and celebrated singer Sonu Niigaam in a unique format aptly titled Hari Rang Hari Sang. This format will constitute live music performed by a group of talented musicians and singers from Pune and Mumbai, including some surprise guest artistes and a few audio-visual presentations.
The event also marked the release of an official biography on the maestro at the hands of Amitabh Bachchan. Woodwinds Of Change by Surjit Singh presents rare insights into the maestro’s contribution to music. A collection of rare ‘live’ recordings, again titled Hari Rang, Hari Sang by Music Today was presented as momento to all guests present at the event, which also featured a music concerto performed by the students of Vrindaban Gurukul.
This event was made possible by the generous support of Garden Silk Mills and Music Today.
Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia has made it his life’s mission to globally popularise the bansuri (flute) and make its sounds and melodies as immortal as Lord Krishna himself. An unpretentious piece of bamboo takes on a new life in his hands, and the combination of a God-given talent, his arduous pursuit of a dream and personal charm are the quintessential qualities that endear him to his fans and admirers the world over.
His lifelong dream of perpetuating the Indian traditional concept of the guru-shishya parampara,came alive in 1989 when the late Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi granted him a plot of land for him to pursue his dream. Ratan Tata and Ajit Kerkar gave his dream a shape and form in 2002, and a veritable Vrindaban was born where students arrive from all parts of the world to learn and study with satchels of flute, live and eat together with thousands of flutes ringing out each day in a harmonious cadence.
