I'm posting an interview of Pandit Nikhil Banerjee below with some explanatory remarks that I used to believe were obvious (but have been made to feel, very confusingly, over the last decade or so that they perhaps need stating). I hope you will see that the lessons we can learn from this interview apply to anything we want to master and not just music:
1. One doesn't have to agree with all of Pandit Banerjee's viewpoints. That's never the point of reading anything! For example, he didn't appreciate fusion music - and I just love it (if it's good 😊)!
2. As you will see, he practiced music for 14 hours everyday for about 5 years. I've been asked: What if I want to master two things: Science and Music, or Maths and Literature? Well, then go 7 hours per day for each for 10 years 😅! Pandit Banerjee was singularly devoted to music and believed that one needs to focus completely on it for 4-5 years. But some of us have more than one passions and we need to find a way to achieve excellence in each of them. Then: What if I'm married or in a relationship? Well, then discuss your goals with your spouse or partner and seek their support in letting you devote as much time as possible towards your goals - and commit a larger number of years to attain excellence. And if your spouse or partner is not supportive, then that's a problem, isn't it? Each one of us has to find a balance that works for us. The point is obviously not to adopt Pandit Banerjee's mode of training as the only possible mode. Rather, absorb very very clearly that there are no shortcuts. If you want to attain to excellence in anything, you have to devote the time and effort required and avoid wasting time. You can't lounge around, go out frequently, catch every movie, watch tv serials, read junk novels and magazines, waste time on social networking sites, and still aspire towards excellence. It simply does-not-work-that-way.
With these points in mind, here, be inspired 😊: Nikhil Banerjee Interview New York November 9, 1985 (raga.com)
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