The Atmosphere of music.

Indian classical music is rich in lyricism and sensitivity and awakes a deep inner silence so the listener

offen can experience peaceful moments while listening to it.

Due to its introverted beauty can be treated as music for entertainment.

In reality, however, it is more a kind of therapy through its meditative feeling of sound.

A familiar listener goes deep by listening to it.

Also it has been observed that even those who have not been in contact with this type of music before can enjoy and get benefited from its therapeutically qualities too.

While tuning the musical instrument the atmosphere is already lightened up through the listeners faces bringing the picture of a drawing that is being painted at that very moment.

The listener can feel a sense of happiness the music through the flow of the sound.

Easily one can find that the intensity, the rhythm and the melody affect his/ her internal constitution.

Through this observation the sound moves in harmony with the breath all over the body and begins to give the feeling of vibration.

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Music inspires us to experience the beauty of life at the present moment and any moment of our existence.

Indian classical music.

Indian classical music through the approach of the Raga can act deeply in our soul and offer abundant therapeutic benefits to it.

With the term ‘Raga’ a Sanskrit term, we can say ‘coloring the mind, the soul’ .

Using different notes in a certain way and putting emphasis on some of them we can feel a ‘painting’ being colored or a similar feeling to the soul.

The term Raga comes from the ancient times of India. It is said Shiva as a great yogi spent time in the nature practicing it.

It is attributed to specific moments of the day, like morning, afternoon, evening, night

or in more specific periods like spring, winter, or summer.

We observe in the nature of a musician as yogi who has grown sidhis (spiritual powers) can influence and heal though the sound.

The nature and atmosphere of this type of music according to the history was from practitioners

who lived in nature and in tune with it and explored the Raga.

We can observe an intense approach to the spiritual element through the sound.
Today we can find this kind of music on concert halls but its essential position is through

meetings in small rooms, or ‘bhaitak’ as they are called in India, which reminds a gathering of meditators.

As a musician.

As long as I remember myself, music was always a good friend.
Since my experiences and taste of music varied from time to time,

whenever the appropriate sound touched the right part of my soul I always felt healed by it.

I always loved music, but I become interested to learn it around the age of 25.
Luckily, I was in an Indian classical music concert in Thessaloniki, north Greece, in ’95.
I experienced something like being in a temple where the prayers happened through the sound, pure sound without adding words.

In the coming year, I travelled to India and came back with a Sitar.
I had few basic lessons and I realized that if I wanted to learn it properly I should go to its ‘source’, India.
Next year, in ’98, I travelled to Varanasi, north India, following a recommendation

to meet a certain Sitar teacher.

Surprisingly I found out that he was the same musician

I had seen on stage two years ago in Thessaloniki.
For the following 12 years, I used to spend about half a year in Varanasi studying

with Rabindra Narayan Goswami the sitar and later the Surbahar (a base instrument similar to the Sitar).

Music was the main reason that I was there, but Varanasi had to offer more like yoga,

philosophy, Vedic astrology.
I would like to point out that the way and approach of this music as I experience it myself

at that time was as a spiritual path.

That approach was something that I have not experienced before and I was inspired

to devote a part of my life to it.

Of course there is no end to it, just I could say that those years the seeds of music

were ‘implanted’ within me, something that grows through time.

I am very grateful to my teacher for many reasons and for sure that if it was not him probably

I would not continue to study this type of music.

It took time for me, practice and persistence for achieving the basics like tuning,

rhythm and comfortable position.
It is said that it takes at least 10 years to be able to enjoy your practice,

20 for the listeners to enjoy your playing, 40 for your Guru (teacher) to enjoy your music

and at least a lifetime for God to enjoy your practice.

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I never approached this music as Indian, in the sense that it is only referred

to those who come from India, but as a path through the sound to see deep within me,

where I could see an endless universe.

Through the period that I spent in India, I had the chance to meet many

interesting yogi-musicians and to listen to many concerts.
Later around 2008 I got another special musical instrument the Rudra veena.

Soon I travelled to the Gurukul (a place where someone studies music) of the Dagar family.

There I had the chance to spend some time with Fariddudin Dagar,

one of the last Ustad (someone with deep knowledge and experience of music)

of the Dhrupad scene (an approach to Indian music with a deep meditate quality) and to

study with Bahauddin Dagar the Rudra veena,

something that influenced my approach to music much.

Another important musician that influenced me deeply is Pushpraj Kosthi from Mumbai.

The above musicians had the deepest influence on me,

but there are also many others I met and listened to their music.

Two musicians that had a very important impact on me and influenced me deeply

though their recordings, since I never met them, are Nikhil Banerjee and Zia Mohiuddin Dagar.

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I cannot see any limits in this path and I enjoy its practice, as well as I feel very happy sharing it with open listeners.