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Classical vocalist Sanjeev Abhyankar believes that though rigidity has no place in music, one has to be well-equipped in its rudiments to be able to traverse its vast expanse
Being music's wonder child - he gave his first stage performance at 11 - he admits has a
flipside. He was not allowed to go for school picnics, dissuaded from eating certain things and had to make similar small sacrifices along his musical journey. But he recalls that music might have been a vocation
chosen by his parents it was never a forced compulsion. Even in his formative years he realised that he was blessed and meant for bigger things. The first significant stop of course was at Pandit Jasraj's doorsteps. He recalls, "Now I was living in Pune and could have trained under stalwarts based in the Mecca of music. But my mother Shobha Abhyankar felt that for my musical temperament there was no better guru than Panditji." Of course, learning from a legend and thereafter finding your own voice is not easy. Comparisons, unfair too, are natural and trailed him the moment he cut his first album at 20. But Abhyankar was unfazed for, "My guru told me it's a passing phase. Right now take this as a compliment." His guru's encouragement has always been a beacon for Abhyankar. Today he may have received many honours like the National Award for singing in Godmother, the fulsome praise he receives from his guru is more important than anything else. As he puts it, "Guruji's shabaash is akin to getting a Bharat
Ratna. Going beyond tradition Photo: Sanjeev Abhyankar performing in Chandigarh Abhyankar asserts, "A good guru just exemplifies. He doesn't teach you for there are no readymade recipes in classical music which is a complex art." Moreover, he feels that the truth is that the guru is in search of the ultimate for, "In raag sangeet you always remain a saadhak, never become a master." Who can be a good classical singer? He can't pinpoint the basic requirements. A good voice? "Yes, but 10 kinds of voices can be beautiful. Art is a very relative world in which there are no fixed standards or parameters," he says. Moreover, he asserts that in the realm of classical music, singing is not the end goal but creativity and aesthetics are. And in saundrya shodh, again the quest is endless. He reasons, "Take any sports record, its broken only by a few seconds which means there is a limit to physical endurance and stamina. Thus a voice can only be a trained up to a point. But it can be made to traverse the vast expanse of creativity and aesthetics sans frontiers of any kind." His, of course, has been soaring high not only in shastriya gyan but also in devotional music, especially in Marathi abhangs as well as bhajans and occasionally in films too. The biggest challenge in a classical artist's life, he feels is to know what and how to showcase years of training effortlessly. He quips, "Music performance can never be a one- man-upmanhip contest, nor can showing off how much you know. It's about surrender and submission." And Abhyankar not only acquiesces but even rises to watch himself, to ensure that he remains a saadhak of music. The musical world may go ga ga over the genius of his music at no point would he care to delude himself that he knows it all.
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If on stage his musical brilliance belies his youth, off stage his deep philosophy of
life and music leaves you wonderstruck. Gifted vocalist Sanjeev Abhyankar, once hailed as a child prodigy, has over the years not only matured in music but also in understanding of life. Life, he says, is all about making choices about looking at the glass half
full or half empty. 
Sanjeev Abhyankar, a vocalist of the Mewati gharana, compares gharanedaar parampara of Indian classical music to sanskar that one imbibes from one's family which one must never forget. Sure enough one can learn musical nuances from other gharanas. But that he reasons is possible only if you have your feet firmly grounded in the gharana which you represent. Of course, he also remarks that no ambassador of music can be rigid. So one day he might create fusion with foreign musicians too. Right now he is happy with his jugabandis, especially the Jasrangi duets - that is singing of two different ragas at one time, with eminent singer Ashwini Bhide.