Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
| Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia | |
|---|---|
Hariprasad Chaurasia at Bhubaneswar, 2015
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| Background information | |
| Born |
1 July 1938 Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Genres | Hindustani classical music, film score |
| Occupation(s) | Flutist, composer |
| Instruments | Bansuri |
| Years active | 1957- |
| Associated acts | Shivkumar Sharma, Brij Bhushan Kabra, Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek |
| Website | hariprasadchaurasia.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Bansuri | |
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (born 1 July 1938) is an Indian classical flautist, who plays the bansuri, an Indian bamboo flute, in the Hindustani classical tradition.
Chaurasia was born in Allahabad in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. His mother died when he was 6. He had to learn music without his father's knowledge, as his father wanted him to become a wrestler. He did go to the Akhada and train with his father for some time, although he also started learning music and practising at his friend's house.
He has stated,
I was not any good at wrestling. I went there only to please my father. But maybe because of the strength and stamina I built up then, I'm able to play the bansuri even to this day.
Chaurasia started learning vocal music from his neighbour, Pandit Rajaram, at the age of 15. Later, he switched to playing the flute under the tutelage of Pandit Bholanath Prasanna of Varanasi for eight years. He joined the All India Radio, Cuttack, Odisha in 1957 and worked as a composer and performer. Much later, while working for All India Radio, he received guidance from the reclusive Annapurna Devi, daughter of Baba Allaudin Khan. She only agreed to teach him if he was willing to unlearn all that he had learnt until then (so as to start over free from any pre-existing errement). Another version is that she only agreed to teach him after he (of his own) took the decision to switch from right-handed to left-handed playing to show her his commitment. In any case Chaurasia plays left-handed to this day.
Apart from classical music, he has made a mark as a music director for Indian films along with Shivkumar Sharma, forming a group called Shiv-Hari. He has collaborated with world musicians in experimental cross-cultural performances, including the fusion group Shakti.
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