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"Classical Music is the solemnest prayer" - Goutam Sarker

Zahangir Alom
Goutam Kumar Sarker is one of the most dedicated tabla artistes in the coun-try. Hailing from a musical family of Satkhira, he along with tabla artistes -Ifkekhar Alam Pradhan, Swarup Hossain and Zakir Hossain performed in a quartet at this year's Bengal Classical Music Festival (BCMF). In a conversation with The Daily Star ahead of Chhayanaut's classical music festival, the artiste and teacher shared his musical passion and journey so far.
According to Goutam - "Classical Music is the solemnest way of prayer. The artistes say their prayers through rendering or reciting the refined melody. Melody is, in a word, the Brohmma. The important thing is that I always keep myself immersed in the practice and perseverance of my musical pursuit.
"Becoming a good artiste necessitates tireless practice, patience and perseverance. To play tabla is a tough job. Legendary singer 1 lemanta Mukherjee never trained in classical music; but he was gifted with a melodious voice. When he went to learn classical music under Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, the maestro told him that your voice is all set to perform. A vocalist may such a privilege of having a God-gifted voice; but for tabla, none can play it without proper training. A clear conception of beats and swift hands are a must.
"Classical music, a priceless resource, has its roots in our sub-continental musical legacy. Anyone, attracted to the genre, may learn it like any other performing arts. For me, it can nourish and embellish each and every form of music. I am not advocating for stopping band music; rather my view zooms in on the point that the band artistes, gradually entering into the realm of classical music, can further embellish their own compositions and performances. Any musician can be benefited from taking lessons on classical music."
Goutam's formal tabla lessons began at the age of six under his uncle Pandit Moloy Kumar Sarker in Kolkata, India. Later, he took lessons from Pandit
Rabin Banerjee. 1 lis academic lessons on tabla started at Chhayanaut Sangeet Bidyaytan in 2001. At Chhayanaut, he took lessons from Pandit Madan Gopal Das and secured first class with first position. In 2003, he also came first in Inter University Competition of Bangladesh.
I Ie is now a tabla teacher at the Classical Music Department of Chhayanaut.
"Getting involved with Chhayanaut is a great opportunity for me, because the cultural organisation and school not only provides lessons on performing arts but also inspires all its pupils to become true human beings. Students at Chhayanaut can learn to think differently, love their motherland and above all trod the path of becoming a Shwashoto Bangalee." Goutam says.
On his performance in a tabla quartet on the opening night of the BCMF he said, "I was very fortunate to perform on such a platform where many great maestros performed. It is really a landmark for my career" a beaming Goutam asserts.
Goutam a regular artiste of Radio and Television besides his musical endeavours, is a computer engineer and works with telecommunication company Grameenphone.