Pandit Vijay Kichlu & Subhra Guha

This fall, Yale will host two of the world�s foremost exponents of Indian classical music in the agra gharana tradition, Pandit Vijay Kichlu and Subhra Guha, both affiliated with the American Academy of Indian Classical Music.

Though widely considered two of the best Indian classical vocalists in the current milieu, neither Kichlu nor Guha grew up in musician families, somewhat unusual for musicians of their stature. Though Kichlu took music lessons throughout his childhood, his father discouraged him from pursuing music as a vocation, leading him to embark on a decades-long career in shipping. On weekends and in his spare time however, Kichlu and his brother Ravi continued to pursue their passion, and soon became a well-known performing duo. When ITC Limited sought to find a director for the new institution devoted to Indian classical music it was funding, Kichlu became head of the emerging Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata in 1978. The Sangeet Research Academy�s goal was to nurture various forms of Indian classical music through the traditional gurukul, which required masters and pupils to stay together. Kichlu recruited the top performers in their respective traditions to come live in the Institute. The Institute was designed to host the gurus for extended periods of time, the rest of their lives if they wished to remain. Among those who took up residency in the academy were some of the greatest exponents of Hindustani classical music�Shrimati Hirabai Barodekar of the Kirana gharana, Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan of the Agra gharana, Girija Devi of the Banaras Gharana. Kichlu then scouted out some of the most talented music students in India and brought them to the Institute, providing them with handsome stipends. Under the aegis of the Institute, the master musicians could properly train and educate their pupils in the traditional guru-shishya (master-pupil) mode of teaching.

Among the pupils to arrive at the Institute was Subhra Guha. Having initially studied under the Late Satish Bhowmick, Guha became one of the Institute�s agra gharana pupils, studying and training under vocalist Pandit Sunil Bose for ten years. She also honed her skills under the able guidance of Pandit K. G. Ginde and Pandit D. T. Joshi. The agra gharana khayal style is a highly masculine tradition that typically features male musicians. This led Guha to try and modify the masculine features of her technique while preserving the spirit and character of the tradition, thereby creating a unique blend of feminine charm and masculine splendor. After years of training, today Guha is widely hailed as the world�s foremost female agra gharana vocalist.

Today neither Guha nor Kichlu remain affiliated with Sangeet Research Academy. After twenty five years at the head of the Academy, Kichlu retired. At present both teach at the American Academy of Indian Classical Music, based in New York City. The American Academy represents Kichlu�s second attempt at establishing an Indian music school in the United States. Though he aims to train musicians along the classical model espoused at the Sangeet Research Academy, Kichlu candidly admits to the difficulties of teaching Indian classical music outside of India. For starters, the American Academy of Indian Classical Music cannot operate on the traditional guru-shishya model of the Sangeet Research Academy, since there are neither teachers nor students in residence. The �constant companionship� of the traditional model is missing, as Kichlu explains, �[In] the traditional system of training�once the master accepted the pupil, the pupil lived at the house of his master for the rest of his life, at the master�s cost.�

However, this has not impeded Guha from taking on about fifteen to twenty students in the United States. Though most are �more or less beginners,� Guha sees promise in her students. One student in particular has the potential to be a very good musician, but only �if she tries, if she works hard,� Guha says with a smile. It is in such students that lies the future of Indian classical music in the United States.