Abir Hossain’s sarod chronicles

The first time I met Abir, I was actually expecting to welcome a singing sensation to my house: his better half, Puja. Puja and Abir came all the way from Kolkata at our invitation to enlighten us. We had arranged a musical soirée for Puja. A former Indian Idol contestant with an illustrious career as a distinguished artiste, Puja graced that remarkable evening with her brilliant performance. Her sweet voice, deep knowledge of music, and pleasant personality combined for an extraordinary recital that ranged from ghazals to Bangla and Hindi songs.

But my subject today is Abir, because I had a tête-à-tête with him during the rehearsal in my house. When they arrived, I had little knowledge of Abir's prowess. It was only during their stay with us that I discovered the range of his artistic attributes.

Meet Abir Hossain, the self-effacing sarod maestro. At first greeting, he readily demoted himself to a quiet secondary role to elevate Puja to the limelight. The stage was not his, but Puja's. Yet, as conversations revealed his distinguished identity, his journey piqued my interest.

At first glance, Abir comes across as a mild-mannered, self-deprecating individual. He wears an unassuming smile, as if always a curious bystander—your laid-back friend, nonchalant about the world. But that demeanour belies his uncanny ability to wrap your soul in a musical cobweb. The tune of his sarod can lift your spirits to dizzying heights. Eyes closed, soul ajar, you can immerse yourself in the tranquillity of his music, shaping it however your imagination allows.

With the prized sarod at his side, he sat down with me to lay bare his love for music and his embrace of the instrument.

Like any other restless five-year-old from Bardhaman, his main goal was to count how many rules he could break and conventions he could defy. But all that changed on a fateful evening when he watched a sarod concert by visiting Ustad Bahadur Khan, the famed sarod player and composer. He instantly found his calling in those magical tunes. Their "mesmerising tonal quality," as he described, captivated him so deeply that he told his father of his newfound passion.

Although he had to wait seven long years to begin, his dream never wilted. In those years, he sat in on his father's lessons in Agra gharana music, absorbing what he could. At twelve, his father requested Padma Bhushan Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta, one of India's most reputed classical musicians, to take him on. Abir was readily accepted. Since travel from Bardhaman to Kolkata was too much for a child, his father's close friend Ramshamkar personally escorted him until he was old enough to go alone. Armed with unbridled passion and strong family support, Abir's quest began in earnest.

Like any story, there were bumps. Cricket—his childhood passion—soon tempted him to skip a few lessons. Guruji grew annoyed and complained to Abir's family. His mother wept uncontrollably at the news of his negligence. Her grief jolted him into a profound realization of his purpose. From then on, he never missed a lesson. Sensing his immense talent, Guruji insisted that Abir stay at his Kolkata home so he could monitor him closely. For six years, Abir trained relentlessly, often losing track of time and skipping meals.

During this time, he pursued two rigorous raga courses from Prayag Sangeet Samiti in Allahabad—Sangeet Prabhakar and Sangeet Praveen—topping both and earning gold medals. A sarod virtuoso was now born.

In 2002, he aced the admission test to the prestigious ITC Sangeet Research Academy (SRA), which had just opened its sarod and sitar departments. For ten years, he trained with solid resolve, graduating to become a teacher. Today, as a highly regarded guru at ITC in Kolkata, he nurtures budding talents, many of whom mature gracefully into stars. Admission is fiercely competitive, and only those who meet ITC's unforgiving standards survive. To keep refining his own artistry, Abir continues to take lessons from Padma Bhushan Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, a legend of Indian classical music.

His journey has earned him a place among India's distinguished sarod players.

What impressed me most was his mastery of an instrument without frets. Frets divide a fingerboard into segments that guide finger placement; the sarod has none. Playing it demands an exquisite sense of where each note lies. Abir described using the width of three fingers combined to help sense the notes. He even quipped, "My nails are hard and twisted like the beak of a parrot, ideal to play sarod."

He went on to illustrate three foundational techniques of raga with remarkable ease. A mere is the smooth glide from "Re" to "Ga," while an andolon extends that movement back and forth, producing a wave-like effect. When performed quickly and with greater intensity, the andolon becomes a gamok. Asked about his personal favourites, he mentioned ragas such as Kedar and Yaman, both belonging to the Kalyan thaat (scale).

Abir also has a flair for music arrangement. His first major breakthrough came in 2020 when Muktadhara tasked him with arranging music for thirty-six Tagore songs, sung live by artistes from across India and Bangladesh at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata. The concert was a huge success. Buoyed by that, he now dreams of arranging for Bollywood to reach even more listeners.

Finally, it was time for him to play. His brilliance was undeniable. The notes flowed into every pore of my being. His fingers moved with soothing melodic grace, carrying me through waves of elation and melancholy. Each improvisation felt like a painter's flourish, resonating with parts of my heart. My heartbeat synced with his music. His entire journey came alive in the language he knows best.

Interestingly, Abir's first foray into art was cooking as a child. He believes those creative culinary pursuits may have sparked his eventual passion for music arrangement. Just as a chef organises and layers flavours, Abir now arranges music with equal care. That creative continuity ties his journey together.

Today, Abir Hossain stands at a confluence of tradition and exploration, carrying the timeless voice of the sarod into new realms. Abir, it has been a privilege to know you.