Exploring Raag Gawati

A couple weeks ago, we went to watch Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Ustaad Zakir Hussain in concert at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. As concert draws go, this was a no-brainer. They are both world class, pre-eminent in their chosen instrument (Hussain is universally considered the world's best tabla player, SKS practically invented the modern santoor), and geniuses of Hindustani music.

Listening to them perform was everything you would expect of world class musicians. Watching them was another matter. Zakir Hussain has always been known for his showmanship, his almost over-the-top performance skills, so much so that there is a strong audience expectation of a sideshow from him and it can sometimes compete with the stature of the main performer. Although he's mellowed a bit with age (he is now in his late 50's), Hussain brought the house down multiple times with his head-shaking flourishes.

Perhaps because of Hussain's style, the pairing with Sharma felt odd. Sharma, who is 71, is a noticeably introverted performer. He doesn't so much play the santoor as fuss over it like a mad scientist fiddling with a delicate machine, oblivious to the outside world. In fact, the traditional fine-tuning of the instruments that began the performance lasted a looong 8 minutes as Sharma tweaked and tightened the santoor's fickle strings. It made me feel as if I had accidentally showed up too early, and the concert was actually a few hours later. Zakir Hussain sat to the side, his arms crossed over his tablas, waiting so intently and patiently that you got the image of a young boy watching his father at work - an image reinforced at the end of the concert when he touched Sharma's feet in respect.

Sharma presented an exhaustive exploration of Raag Gawati, a hauntingly beautiful classical raga, before being joined by Zakir Hussain. The ragas chosen by the performers are different each time they perform, as the Hindustani format depends heavily on venue-to-venue, moment-to-moment improvisation and communication between the main performers.

Below is a brilliant portrayal of Raag Gawati by another maestro of Hindustani music, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: