Interview with Kartik Seshadri
by Andi Moore

In a country undergoing rapid development, it may strike some as surprising that Indian classical music continues to thrive within the swirl of such sweeping change. Indian sitar virtuoso Kartik Seshadri is not surprised by this, explaining that this form of music is very much tied to the spiritual fabric of life in India. As he observes: “Despite the various invasions, ranging from the colonial period to the present day MTV culture and Bollywood film music, classical music still retains a special place.”

Kartik Seshadri is renowned throughout India and the western world as a sitar virtuoso, but, as a southern Indian, it was quite unusual for him to have taken up an instrument traditionally from the north, west and eastern areas of the country. In fact, as Kartik notes, “it would be fair to say that I was the first one to do so at that time.”

Kartik does not hail from a family of professional musicians, as is common in Indian classical music, where music is handed down from generation to generation within the family, but music was part and parcel of daily life when he was growing up. When his father started to learn the sitar, the young Kartik’s interest was piqued by the Hindustani musical tradition. “I would sit in on my father's lessons and often fall asleep to the music. I was five when I started to play and at six started to give full-length public concerts.” Even at this early stage in his career, the six-year-old Kartik was hailed as a prodigy by critics and prominent musicians in India. From there his talent grew and the accolades have followed him throughout his performing life.

The music that Kartik Seshadri performs is strictly classical, but Indian classical music is very different from the Western tradition. Given that it is improvised, each Indian classical musician has to bring their own originality, depth and excitement to the performance.

“One of the wonders of Indian classical music is that it is completely improvised within the strict parameters of the raga and tala. My choice of raga and tala is typically made on the stage. It depends on so many factors: my emotional state, the pulse of the people, the venue, the sound system and on a deeper level I sometimes feel that it is the raga that invites rendition from me. At the risk of sounding too mystical, I do have to say that the choice of a raga is a deeply inward process for me. It is for this reason that I am unable to provide a list of pieces for the performance and, while this is usual for Indian music, most musicians will at least plan ahead on the day of the performance what I typically find more comfortable to do on stage.”

Although the raga relies on spontaneity, everything on stage is carefully considered. Kartik’s positioning, for instance, relates to his ability to interact with the tabla. “The sitar has a long neck and having the tabla on my right as I face the audience is more interactive and lends much to visual contact and rapport between the artists, an energy that is so discernible and apparent to the audience.” Costume too is particularly significant: “We are typically in our silk ‘kurtas’ and besides the beauty of the wonderful hand woven fabrics, I personally find it meaningful on a ritualistic level of being clothed in what our ancestors wore and what I will perform. It is paradoxical as it reconciles the past with the present; the visual aesthetic with the musical aesthetic and above all, I feel it cloaks me in a spiritual shell to shape my musical expression for the concert ... the sublime to the spirited!!

Kartik Seshadri is considered one of the greatest living sitar players and even those who don’t know much about Indian classical music are in for a real treat with his performances. “I have a different sense of gratitude and inspiration when I perform for audiences who have no knowledge of the tradition. They will come away with a very rich, fulfilling experience. This is the nature of the music, to traverse an extraordinary range of emotions from the deeply sublime to the dazzlingly electric. It is entirely left to the ability of the performer to create on the spur of the moment – to be the composer and improviser all at once!”

For up-to-the-minute program details, visit Kartik's Seshadri's Festival webpage.