Love plays a huge role in everyone’s life
- INTERVIEW PERFORMING ARTS
Life&More- 0
- 9 minutes read
Hariharan, Bickram Ghosh join hands for the love of music
Saurabh Tankha
When two of the country’s greatest musical icons collaborate, magic is almost guaranteed. Renowned playback, bhajan and ghazal singer Hariharan and tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh have come together for Ishq, an album featuring six songs on love. Released on February 23 across all major music platforms, the album has so far unveiled three music videos.
Excerpts from an interview with Bickram Ghosh:
Tell us about the creation of the album, Ishq.
Hariharanji and I have known each other for long and performed on several occasions on stage, very interesting collaborations each one: once me with him and Shivamani in London, once with us and Ustad Rashid Khan at Kolkata and on another occasion with U Srinivas. But never had we collaborated on an album. So four years back, he had recorded one of the songs, Naina, but only the first antara which I had sent and two antaras were not done. Then we got busy with our careers.
During the pandemic, we were texting each other and I wrote if I should send the remaining antaras. He immediately replied with a yes and one after the other, we recorded the six songs and rearranged a lot of compositions to suit Hariji’s voice. Later Sufiscore came on board the project and they did something unusual, ie, they agreed to do six music videos. We then roped in our noted Bengali filmmaker friend Arindam Sil to shoot the videos in two phases amid pandemic regulations and SOPs. It was tough and hectic but we could shoot the videos with Hariji participating very enthusiastically.
Here we are with fabulous response after the release of the first two music videos, hitting the million mark. The reaction has been fantastic and listeners feel it is a return to melodies, loving the arrangement as well as lyrics along with the timelessness of Hariharanji.
Share details about the album.
There are six songs with different takes on love. Sometimes, it is ruthna manana which is baton baton main and on others, it is dying for love which is Radha. There is Dil Hawai Hain which is a travel/ journey song; Mora Mann, a rhythmic song which is in the video portrayed by my wife, Jaya Seal Ghosh, a filmi take on the song and there is Naina, an ode to the eyes of a woman.
As the theme of the album is love, what role has love played in your life?
Love has shaped my life in many ways—through my family, my parents, my wife Jaya, and our children, Aadit and Arav. Jaya and I met on the sets of the Bengali film Hothat Neera Jonnye. Equally important is my love for music and the guidance of my gurus, S. Sekhar, my father Pt Shankar Ghosh, and my mentor Pt Ravi Shankar. Romantic love is just one expression of love. Love exists in many forms, all rooted in the human soul’s desire to connect, grow and find a sense of permanence.
What are the key elements of a creative collaboration?
Chemistry which Hariji and I discovered while working for Ishq. There was no space for differences during the making of the album. We saw eye to eye on every aspect, and everyone considered every suggestion important and incorporated it. We struck it off. He is like my elder brother and we could hang out and chill apart from sharing the union of two musicians. We both believe in rhythm, melody, and that two people must have enough knowledge of the craft . This is what which makes it a very potent collaboration.
When two experienced and established musicians like you two join hands, what is that one looks in the other?
I admire Hariharanji for the incredible finesse and nuance in his singing. He brought all of that—and more—to the project. His performance inspired me to revisit the studio and rearrange the soundscape. Our camaraderie, mutual respect and understanding made the collaboration truly special.
Creative differences are bound to take place during a collaborative process. In such a situation, who gets to have the last word?
I always thought but with Hariji there was none. I appreciated every suggestion he made, and Hariharanji never overlooked any suggestion I made. He was forthcoming and generous. It was stunning and incredible that it did not happen as there were so many videos and recordings that happened.
