“Listening to, or playing Indian Classical Music brings in energy, spontaneity, happiness, and alertness”: Sudhanshu Sharma

Real Music happens when the Soul sings and the Soul listens – This is truly believed and practiced by Sudhanshu Sharma, an internationally respected Indian Musician, Teacher and Performer.His singing is marked by a serene and reposeful elaboration of the Raga, away from the ostentation and showiness that usually grips a musical performance. He seeks to remain in constant touch with his innermost musical impulses, exploring ways to give supple voice to the myriad ideas, which surround his imagination. His recitals endeavor to create a dense, rich and radiant structure of the Raga – and nothing else!

As an ambassador of Indian Art and culture, Sudhanshu strongly believes that the essence of Indian Music is ‘Raga Music’ and not Bollywood music as is the popular perception. His mission is to connect the audience to the roots of Indian Music and let them fall in Love again with the Rāgas which have been flowing down as heritage since centuries.

He talks about his recent visit to Australia and his experiences as a Musician and Teacher of Indian Music here.

1. Tell us about what kind of programs you offered in Australia? 

I offered Concerts, workshops, residential retreats and one-on-one classes of Indian Classical Vocal Music here in Australia. The concerts gave the audience a chance of experiencing the sounds of Indian Classical Music in an intimate gathering. The workshops were an introduction to the sacred sounds of Indian Music and also about exploring your voice under a nurtured and caring guidance to open it up and to be able to see it as a tool for self-expression and creativity. The retreats were done to let the participants experience the ancient Indian ‘Gurukul’ system of learning where the students stayed with the teacher in the same campus and studied Music and Yoga together for 5 to 6 hours a day, giving them a chance to be more immersed and involved in the learning and practice of Indian Music. The private classes gave the students a chance to study and practice with me in an intimate environment and get valuable feedbacks to improve their practices and their voice.

2. How did you find Australian audiences received your music and workshops? Were there many Australians of Indian origin attending? 

I felt, the Australian audience received my music with an open mind and a loving heart. The feedbacks after the concerts and workshops were full of love, fascination, wonder and inspiration. And this was mutual. I was amazed by the interest and the devotion people here have had to the sounds of Indian Music. All my offerings were packed with audience even as I was sharing it for the first time in Australia. People wanted to listen, wanted to learn and never felt short of opening theirs hearts to explore the sacred and therapeutic sounds of my music. For this, I can only be grateful to the grace of Almighty and my Gurus and the invigorating-tranquilizing sound effects of the Rāgas I presented.

I wouldn’t say there were many Australians of Indian origin attending my offerings. But there were some. Since this was my first visit to Australia, I hope to have more audience from this segment into my concerts and workshops. I am sure there are many people out there waiting to reconnect to their roots through Art and Culture. We are trying to build bridges to get to them. Next time, we do intend to reach out to them in a bigger way. I do hope that this interview will also reach out to those brothers and sisters and they will subscribe to our newsletters and stay connected for announcements to my future offerings.

3. Why do you think Australian’s have such appreciation for the rich and vast culture of Classical Indian Music?

I think this appreciation comes from the ability of the Australians to open their hearts into receiving the powers of Indian Music and its own capacity to touch the Soul. The art of Indian music has been known since ages to capture the senses of the listeners and take them into a meditative and contemplative experience, which feels heavenly and surreal. To be able to transport yourself into those realms is increasingly becoming the need for present day lifestyles full of mental and physical pressures. Sound baths are becoming popular all across the world as a means of unwinding and connecting to one’s Soul. The rich and vast culture of Indian Classical Music is coming in handy here. Through my experiences this time, I felt that Australia is waking up to a new awakening in appreciating and understating the therapeutic effects of Indian music and this is going to grow with time.

4. Your vocal workshops and retreats are linked to spiritual practices and require great discipline, yet meditative.  How is that so?

All practices require discipline. Don’t they? The paths of practice and discipline lead to greater realizations and proficiency. All the Masters in any of the fields of Art and spiritualism have done enormous amounts of ‘Saadhana’ (practice). The nicest part of such practices are that they are meditative to the core and once you get into it the proper way, it is difficult to get off it. Reason: you can see the instant results not only in your voice but in your overall personality. What I teach is what I have been practicing for years. All of that has helped me enhance my capabilities and also gone ahead in making me a better human being, a more sensitive one. Through my workshop and retreats I am simply trying to re-create the same improvement in others and empower them to understand the wonders of their voice, the wonders of sound as a healing and soothing gift to humanity.

5. What are the healing benefits of singing or playing Indian Classical Music?

Listening to, or playing Indian Classical Music brings in energy, spontaneity, happiness, alertness. Every cell in the body is energized and there is increased vitality with peace of mind. Indian music, with its many Ragas, is known to be particularly therapeutic value. The curative power of music emanates from the resonance of certain ragas on hormonal and glandular functions which produce secretions that keep the body balanced and thus heals. It is believed that music stimulates the pituitary gland, whose secretions affect the nervous system and the flow of blood.Musical experience involves emotional titillations, resulting in the kidnap of the mind. By diverting the mind from its concentration on a pain location (or a painful experience) music can work like a pain-reliever without any side effects. Apart from the tones and semi-tones, Indian classical Music uses the microtones and the overtones to make it a richer and profound experience of investing yourself into its therapeutic powers.

6. You have an acute ear, how did you find the drones of nature in the Australian environments you visited for singing?

I have been lucky to have visited some of the most beautiful and serene locations in Australia and have felt the powers of pristine silence and sounds of nature touch my senses. You do not need any inspiration to do music in such locations. It comes out of you, naturally. All you have to do is surrender to the sounds and silences which these lovely places of Australia have to offer. I wish more and more musical activities could be done here and the inner satisfaction derived out of it.

7. You teach music to children at educational institutes in India and worked with children in school while visiting Australia.  How developmentally therapeutic and beneficial is singing for children in their education?

It is immensely beneficial and therapeutic. No doubts about that. We have read many writings on this subject and seen how singing improves the brain function of the kids by allowing them to do multiple things at a time – pitch, timbre, rhythm, lyrics, emotion, etc. Apart from that it boosts self- confidence, improves language and communication skills and also assists in improving the cardiac and respiratory functions. Teaching children is so much fun and I enjoy every opportunity given to me to work with the young and energetic minds.

8. What did you enjoy most about performing in Australia?

The best thing for me performing here in Australia has been the warm and receiving nature of the Australian audience including the Australians of Indian origin or roots. They have responded so well to the soundscapes of the Rāgas and have enjoyed them to every extent. The hospitality of the people here has been amazing and we have been taken care of very well everywhere we went. The beautiful country has given me inspirations enough to keep creating good music and enjoying this journey of sounds with our interested brothers and sisters.

9. Why do you think it’s important that Indian classical music is preserved and shared? How would you describe its Raga based form and it’s benefits to those unfamiliar with this traditional art form?

It is important to do that because this music truly and genuinely represents the sounds of nature and life itself. Hence, its preservation and propagation becomes as important as the conservation of the environment. We as humans are getting disconnected to our natural self and to our Soul into the cacophony and madness of the world. We are thinking hard, speaking harsh and behaving weird increasingly. This needs to be changed and connecting to the sounds of Indian Classical Music and dance will help us immensely in finding back our true-self. It is not just entertainment, it is meditation, it is a worship that you do to the ‘Nāda Brahma’ – The Sound God. In return, this worship gives you peace, mirth and happiness – the real treasures of today’s times.

The rāgas are living embodiments of the ‘Sound God’ and if rendered properly, have the power to soothe and titillate the senses and connect one to the Supreme energies revolving in the Universe. You can definitely find solace in the world of Rāgas once you start connecting to them with an open mind and heart.

10. Do you have any future plans to visit Australia again?

I sure do have. The response this time has been overwhelming and is bound to grow manifold next time. This month long tour here passed within no time and the audience has been asking for more. Right now I have other commitments to honour and have to return to my country India. But looking forward to invitations next year and would love to come back and share more and more of my gifts of Indian Music and sacred sound with the people here. You may find all my tour details on my website: www.sudhanshusharma.org

My passion is to perform and teach more and more, and Australia is definitely going to be a hot destination.