He is talented... he has always been
a winner... he is a performer... he is a fun loving person. Let’s talk Life
with Sitarist Chintan Katti, where he talks about his journey of life, his
guru- his father and brother, his band "URJAA', how classical music can be
interesting and his love for friends,
food and travel.
- Kindly tell us something about yourself?
I am a Sitar player by profession. I
did my schooling from Parle Tilak Vidyalaya, honestly I was an average student
as my main focus was music. In school I performed for a lot of intra and inter
school competitions and was always a winner. I completed my graduation in B.
Com from Mithibai College, even there I won all inter collegiate competitions
like Malhar and Umang to name a few. I won Mumbai University’s “Youth Festival”
for 3 consecutive years and through that I played and won all State level,
Zonal level and National Level competitions.
I have learnt music from my father
Pandit Shashank Katti and my brother Chirag Katti and have grown up learning
and following their footsteps. Every year in Decemeber I go to Indore and play
in front of my spiritual guru P.P Nana Maharaj Taranekar to pay respect.
I am a foodie and love to try out
different cuisines and love listening to music.
- What are you currently doing professionally?
Professionally I am a sitarist , I play concerts, recordings and
background scores for jingles and short
films . I also have my band URJA and I am also working as a music teacher for
Hill Spring International School.
- What made you choose this career?
I come from a music background, my father and elder brother
re renowned sitarist, since childhood I have grown up listening to them. Music
is in the blood, and I am following the tradition in the family. My idol is my
brother Chirag Katti.
- What kind of Music do you enjoy?
I love listening to Indian Classical music like Pandit Ravi
Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee, ustd Shahid parvez, pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pandit Nikhil
Banergee, my father Pandit Shashank Katti and brother Chirag Katti. I like
Bollywood , fusion and pure Jazz music as well.
- Having a legacy of Music, has it helped you in any ways to make a mark in the field?
Yes it obviously helps to give you an initial platform and
boost, but I think at the end it is only effort that helps you to create a mark
in any field.
- What is your take on the importance Classical Music has been given today? Is it receiving the respect that it earlier had?
According to me, the importance of classical music has
comparatively gone lower as compared to the value it had earlier. The main
issue is that the people’s interest to hear classical music has gone down. You
do not see a full packed audience for a classical concerts the reason being
people are not too patient.
I would
like to add that the kids I teach, like to learn and are also interested in
classical music but you have to teach them in a different way. Also it is very
important to be a good listener. People who are interested in classical music
should listen to good classical concerts and I am sure their approach towards
Classical music will change for the good. The best part is that a lot of young talents want to venture
into Indian Classical Music.
- You have your band “URJA”. Talk about that?
Urja is a
group of extremely talented young musicians led by me.
Essentially it is a fusion ensemble that blends the compositions based on certain Ragas played through Sitar with Keyboard & bass guitar on the melody, accompanied by Drums, Percussion & Tabla for Western & Indian Rhythm.
Essentially it is a fusion ensemble that blends the compositions based on certain Ragas played through Sitar with Keyboard & bass guitar on the melody, accompanied by Drums, Percussion & Tabla for Western & Indian Rhythm.
- Apart from Music, what do you do in your past time?
As I mentioned earlier I am a foodie, I love travelling and
socializing with friends. I also like playing cricket and football.
- Perks of choosing your career?
The advantage of being a performer is that you get a royal treatment wherever you go to perform, the best feeling is that the applauds and praise that you receive gives you a kick to grow and perform better.
- Challenges that you faced during your journey? How did you overcome them?
For me the biggest challenge was allotting time for practice.
It was always difficult to allot time since school days as I was playing
concerts since then. Even now I find it a little difficult to remove time to
practice due to my job and concerts, but I figure my way out as without
practice it is difficult to sustain for a long time.
- How many years does it take for one to be a professional Sitar player?
Honestly it depends on the individual, the time he/she spends
for practice and the most important is the guru that trains him/her. The time
that one spends on Taleem becomes an influential factor for success in one’s
career.
- What was your 'Nothing is Impossible moment'?
As I mentioned earlier that my brother is my idol, when I sit
with him for practice, he plays some tricky things and I always had a notion
that I cannot play that and match his level , but I always try harder and
succeed in playing like him, also when I won the National level competition of
Mumbai university where I competed with winner from all 4 zones.
- Lastly what advice would you give to the aspiring Sitar players who want to make their mark in the field?
Firstly I am too young
to advice, but as a friend I would like to say to all the aspiring sitar
players is that practice as much as you can, learn a lot from your guru.
According to me a guru is like a flowing river, it is up to you how much you
can take out of him a spoon, a bucket or the entire river.
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