Strumming the esraj for refined melodies

by Sureshni Pilapitiya

It is said that music is a spiritual healer. Musicians such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Hayden created music for people not only to enjoy but also to get a peaceful and relaxed feeling. Living our lives in the fast lane, we need something to calm our mind and soul, away from all that stress and exhaustion and music can make a great contribution to help us overcome such issues.

The esraj originated in India, around 300 years ago. It was first created as a feminine instrument, which was basically created to entertain the queens in palaces. That is why its sound is so soft and humble. But later they recognised the value of it and developed it to the present status.

The classical Indian singer prefers the esraj as a accompanying instrument. In India they have several; esraj players. The Indian government pays money to play the esraj. It is played in many parts of India, said Sarath Kumarasinghe in an interview with Montage.

Music is like the wide ocean, as it is always said, and not all genres, or instruments can make us get that divine, relaxed feeling. In the world of music, Indian music plays a vital part. We have heard about the sitar, but as for esraj music, it is rather upcoming. There are esraj players from India, from where it originated, and it is good to know that we, in Sri Lanka have our own esraj players to promote esraj music both locally and internationally. Sarath Kumarasinghe is one of them.

Kumarasinghe is one of the foremost classical esraj players in Sri Lanka, with a keen eye on improvisation. He started playing the Esraj when he was of 12 while at Thurstan College, Colombo. He got the influence of playing the esraj from his own family background, who had a passion for music. He was the first person to offer music at the GCE O/L examination.

That was one of his achievements at the very beginning of his musical career.

Guidance

He studied at the Bhatkande College of Music, Lucknow, India under the guidance of Visharada H. de S. Jayasekera and nurtured his skills in classical vocal and instrumental music.

Sarath has participated in numerous recordings and has been a popular figure performing on radio, television and stage performances on classical and light music. Sarath plays his esraj in Dr. Lester James Peries’ latest film, Wekande Walauwa where Pradeep Ratnayake, the sitar maestro directed the musical score. That was one opportunity which made him contribute to the film industry.

His first solo esraj instrumental recording of six Sinhala and Hindi songs was telecast by the Independent Television Network of Sri Lanka (ITN) in 2000, which inspired the light music listeners and the musicians due to his soothing style of play and the uniqueness of the tone. The esraj is an instrument which has a soft tone, and it is much similar to the human voice itself.

Reason

Sarath is the first person to release an esraj instrumental CD in Sri Lanka. Since then music lovers who like to listen to some soothing music have fallen in love with his unique and lovely esraj music. These are only a few of the many positive reviews which he got from famous media personalities, critics and musicians.

“My love for music increased at the age of 12, under the guidance of the school music master, Yogananda Balasuriya. The reason for selecting the esraj was because I had one at home. I tried playing the violin too. They had a choice of instruments in school, where they were asked to select the instrument that they wanted, so I selected the Esraj.” Kumarasinghe said. In school he practised more than the other students, because he found it more interesting. It was a very refreshing experience. At first people were not very familiar with the Esraj. But he started experimenting with light music, and asked several musicians for feedback,of which he got positive responses. He continued with his music after he migrated to Canada, where he played at his work place and community events.

First concert

It was understood by everyone, since it was not singing, but instrumental. The feedback was quite good, so he thought that this was the type of music he should play. To the western audience, he doesn’t play all western instruments. He plays Sri Lankan and and South Asian instruments too, because the audience likes variety.

All his concerts are titled Sathsara. “Sonduru Sathsara” is the title of his CDs. He held his first concert at the BMICH. Recently, he held his fourth concert at the Bishop’s College auditorium. The format of the concert is very similar to Victor Rathnayake’s “SA” concert. He uses an orchestra to back him and plays the instruments people like to hear, not only Sinhala, Hindi, Tamil numbers, but also western.

He makes it a point to play at least three western instruments in each of his concerts. Referring to a question regarding the recognition for the esraj in Sri Lanka, he said that if one compares the recognition 10 years before and now, and by the time the CD was released, the esraj was not played in public very often. The number of people who played at a student level were very low. There is an awareness of the instrument now and the College of Fine Arts students play the esraj, which shows that they’re getting interested of playing the instrument.

According to some musicians, the esraj is played as a basic instrument, before one starts to play the violin or the Sitar. According to him, if one compares the esraj, violin and sitar, all are capable of producing equal value.

However, there is some truth in that because many people started with the esraj. Once you play the esraj, you continue to play, or you give up. It’s a fact. Initially it’s a little bit easy to play, so that is why they start with the esraj.

The lack of teachers and determination has isolated the development of the esraj. All instruments are basic. The esraj is not a basic instrument. Therefore, you can play anything you want. The esraj, sarangi and the dilruba belong to the same family. The sounds may be similar, but the playing styles are different.

Response

Taking about the audience abroad, the response has been really good. The area where he lives is a multinational community. The response from an audience is the responsibility of an artiste. Before performing he should have an understanding of the instrument.

If one has an audience of 100 people who have no idea of what classical music is, he starts to play. It applies to the singers, dancers, or any kind of artistes who perform. Kumarasinghe generates the melodies with his own effort. He said that one has to be very careful of what he plays.

Kumarasinghe has played the esraj for a few stage dramas. People think that the esraj is only used to play sad music. But he changed that concept. The esraj can produce happy melodies too. He has entertained the audiences with songs such as Mama Mia. In his concerts he does not play sad songs. For the western audience he has to play appropriate songs. For example, the tone is perfect for songs of Abba. It’s ideal for singers with high pitched voices. The Bee Gees and Leo Sayer are good examples. Still, the Esraj has not achieved full recognition. You need good teachers to continue. There are many people in rural areas who haven’t even seen the esraj, but they have the talent. If they’re given the instrument, they will play even without a tutor.

Individual instrument

The guitar is a mathematical and an individual instrument. It is very versatile. Both have their own music styles. But the esraj is more difficult than the guitar. He said that there were some good esraj players, but since he moved to Canada, he is rather unaware of the present esraj players. In India there are a few good esraj players. They’re not really travelling solo. He has not come across esraj players of Ravi Shankar’s stature.

Resources

Kumarasinghe is one of the rare people who plays light music. He said that he teaches people through skype and other online resources, but if any organisation wants to do that they will have to get the technical facilities and he would willingly help.

Teaching through skype is difficult, but still it’s global. He said he needs to continue his journey popularising the instrument. He hopes to find students who want behind all the myths about learning the instrument and take an interest in it. One has to aim high in playing any instrument.

He will release another CD which contains Rukmani Devi’s songs, probably before he leaves the country. Kumarasinghe lives in Ontario, Canada with his wife, son and daughter who have also followed his footsteps in music.