Swiss notes on Indian wealth

Swiss musician Rittener Olivier, who has been learning various Indian instruments since 1997, can't stop gushing over the vastness of Indian classical music...

Anjali Nauriyal Rajpur

Rittener Olivier is a Swiss national who visits India frequently to learn Sarangi from his Indian Guru in Varanasi. A compositor on piano, he lives in Lozana; composes his own music and can play almost all Indian musical instruments with ease, including the Vichitra Veena and the sitar.

While in India Olivier makes it a point to be in Doon for sometime, to be with his guru behen and because he finds the environmental appeal of the place most inspiring.

He informs that he began playing the piano at the age of six after learning from one of the greatest of teachers, Madame Mekula Mekulasuva. He first came to India in '97 after he attended a concert in '96 in Lozana by Dr Gopala Shankara Misra, a professor at Banaras University.

"I heard him play the Veena and was overwhelmed by his music. Later I wrote to him expressing my intension to visit India. He readily agreed and in that trip I stayed in the country for six months, just trying to learn the Vichitra Veena."

Before long Olivier began taking Drupad lessons from his Guru Ritwik Sanyal in the university in Varanasi and that got him hooked on to Indian music and instruments.

How easy or difficult was it to learn Indian Instruments? "One cannot say. When you learn Indian classical music, the guru plays and the disciple reproduces. Of course, it helps if you have an ear for music. One should have the capacity to catch and play. By attentively listening to the guru playing, one can learn a lot. Thereafter one needs to put in dedicated effort," he reveals. After the untimely demise of his guru, Olivier stopped learning the Vichitra Veena and concentrated instead on Indian classical music, and that's when he fell in love with Indian instruments. This accomplished player of many instruments asserts that he never tries to find concerts for himself, but does enjoy playing when people ask him to or on certain India related functions in his country. "For me it is very important to practice and learn and transmit," he quips. What appeals to him about the Vichitra Veena is its sound quality and the fact that it is an instrument with immense possibilities.

Olivier started learning the Sarangi in '98. "I found the sound of the Sarangi very beautiful and began learning from Pandit Santosh Kumar Misra. In the beginning I took one month's lesson from him. Thereafter as I had to finish university in Lozana for six years, I could not come back. In 2004, I returned and now will be in Varanasi for sometime just practising the Sarangi. In Switzerland it is never easy to practice," he says. In all the time that Olivier learnt and played the Indian instruments, he never stopped playing the piano. All along he has also been composing. "Actually I really started composing in '90. Composing is a gift. When you are composing, it's not something you decide you will compose. It is in actuality a response to a certain inner state. By composing one connects and goes deep into oneself," he adds on a philosophical note.

"Indian culture appeals to me," states Olivier, adding, "I have intellectual interest in the Hindu tradition. "

Drama in real life

The recently-concluded 10-day drama festival, which had to be suspended for two days to accommodate some government programme in Town hall, has brought into focus the fact that the state lacks a culture policy

Anjali Nauriyal Town Hall

Uttarakhand may have given several renowned artistes to Bollywood, but performing arts and culture hardly seem to be a priority with the state. This was the opinion expressed by the representatives of various theatre and other performing groups on the sidelines of the just-concluded Theatre Festival that was held in Town Hall. They added that in a state where a good number of individuals have adopted theatre as a means of recreation and creative expression, there should be a clear culture policy as a guiding force, but sadly in the name of promotion of culture not a single auditorium exists in the state capital. The multi-purpose Town Hall hardly suffices their purpose as it is taken over at the slightest pretext for other purposes. Such an inconvenience happened this time also when the Town Hall was taken over for two days b the authorities during the theatre festival, which was organized by the Uttarakhand Natya Parishad (UNP) to commemorate International Theatre Day.

This came as a rude shock to artistes who had prepared the year round for the big day.

Due to paucity of funds, only local groups were extended invitations to participate. But in spite of several hurdles, the festival was a huge success. Each day the Town Hall was packed beyond capacity.

The Uttarakhand Speaking on behalf of UNP, its president S.P. Mamgain states, "There is no recognition of the works of artistes in the state. Now the government departments have taken over organising cultural functions, leaving very little room for us to function in. Under such circumstances, how will the local artistes flourish? Vishwa Rang Manch Divas is as important as Bal Diwas or Women's Day. A certain amount of money should be fixed by the government each year to celebrate this day. We all know that as many as Rs.78 lakh is the pending amount that the state government owes to various artistes and organisations. This is a shame. No one should forget that the artistes had contributed their time, money, heart and soul during the Uttarakhand movement."

Roshan Dhasmana, secretary of the UNP, reveals that the Rang Mandal opened in Doon and Almora by the government are lying inactive. "These must be activated. During the ongoing Kumbh, many local artistes could have been involved, but that did not happen. Theatre artistes are not even in the award list of the government. The auditorium being built near Rispana has a limited capacity and would hardly be of much use," he points out.

Veteran theatre artiste Arun Vikram Rana was honoured on the occasion for his contribution to theatre by chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal. On behalf of the CM, MLA Ganesh Joshi handed over a cheque along with a citation and shawl to the octogenarian, after inaugurating the festival on March 27. Sundarlal, group GM, ONGC, who was also present on the occasion, assured the Parishad a help of Rs.50,000 on behalf of ONGC. Graphic Era Institute of Technology, too, has extended monetary support to the event. The Cultural Department of Uttarakhand has announced a grant of Rs.2 lakh for the event. MP Vijay Bahuguna donated his month's salary for the event.