Ustad Ali's memory haunts Pandit Swapan

Nostalgia runs high at the mention of the legend’s name to Pt Swapan Chaudhuri. After all, his association with Baba began way back in 1956. And for Chaudhuri, the legend truly lives on even as his ears resonate with the notes that’s long stopped playing.
“For the last 30 years, we’ve almost lived together in California. I refuse to believe that he isn’t physically there with us any longer,” he says, before going on to reminisce the night before the legend died.“He was practically losing everything and yet he asked for a harmonium. He couldn’t even speak properly then. I told his students: ‘tomra shur pancham ta tipe rakho’. And then, he whispered the word Durga in my ears. I asked the students if they had been taught any composition in Durga. They started singing and he joined. I still think it’s a miracle that he sang for 45 minutes. And then, when he felt very tired, he rested his head on the pillow. Those memories still haunt and hurt me. How much must someone be committed to music that he’d want to do something like this? He did want to come down to Maihar but his health didn’t permit it. In the presence of everyone, he told us how he had wanted his last rites to be conducted and we followed everything to the T,” Chaudhuri says while his voice gets choked with emotion.
Chaudhuri insists that though the current generation may not unfortunately be that aware of his contribution, history will remember him. “He never believed in marketing. His happiness lay in pursuing music with undivided attention. The Indian media should highlight what’s available on him. Schools should introduce chapters on him. How will our future generation know about his work if they are not told about his contribution?
Today every musician is going to the West. All this is happening because of the way that he has shown us. So many students come to his college of music to study. The US government lends support. I wish people in India also came to know about the archival projects of our institute,” he says.
As for tonight’s concert, Chaudhuri hopes that it will offer something exciting. “I’m eagerly awaiting this duet of vocal and flute. We share a good understanding. Let’s see what happens on stage,” he signs off.
(Priyanka Dasgupta)
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