T hat manyWestern musicians are fascinated byIndian classical music is a well-known fact.ButAmsterdam-based Heiko Dijker turned a professional musician only after arriving in India two decades ago. It was a search for a genre of music that touches his soul that brought him to India after years of hitch-hiking throughEurope and Asia. A concert by Kishori Amonkar baptised him to the ‘religion’ of Indian classical music. Seventeen years of arduous disciplining under great masters transformed him into a consummate tabla artiste widely known across the globe today. Perhaps he is the only tabla player from abroad who has had the privilege of accompanying almost all the supremos of Hindustani musicians and also Kathak exponents. A performing artiste apart, Heiko is a teacher, producer, composer and an organiser of festivals of Indian music and dance at home. The abundant energy that he exudes while playing the rhythm instrument speaks for his unparalleled passion for Indian music.
A regular visitor to India, Heiko was in Thrissur along with the Kailash Ensemble of Holland for a performance. He talks about his music journey that is still on. Excerpts from an interview.
Journey in music
Like any other boy I listened to Western music along with my friends.. But as I grew up, a longing inside me was getting strong for a music that would touch me inwardly. After high school, I decided to leave Holland. I wanted to familiarise myself with other cultures, interact with people belonging to different parts of the world and also listen to their music. Music, every style of it for that matter, I believe, is a cultural product. The mode of travel was hitch-hiking. It took around three years before I landed in India and chanced to listen to the virtuoso Kishori Amonkar. Her music spoke to me even though I could not follow anything. I was overawed by the tabla, which though a drum, could produce a wide spectrum of tones and expressions. This was a defining moment in my life. It came home to me that this was what I was searching for all the time.
Training in Indian music…
Dharwar in Karnataka is the hotbed of Hindustani music. I found my Guru Bhaswaraj Bhendigeri there and he accepted me. I lived nearby and attended the classes in his home.It was Gurukula training for almost four years. The presence of other students was a blessing as it became an excellent opportunity for interaction with them. I used to attend regular concerts in and around the area. It was Prabha Atre of the Kirana Gharana who told me that there were teachers such as Guru Devdas Gupta and Faiyaz Khan who frequented Holland. I met them back at home [Holland] and Faiyaz accepted me as a student. I have been his student for the last 14 years. A loveable guru, Faiyaz is also a strict disciplinarian. Practising with him is a highly exacting exercise. What more compliment do I need when he told me: “Heiko plays the tabla with Indian feelings”. At home, I took a post-graduate degree on the tabla from Rotterdam Conservatory.
Accompanyingmaestros
Accompanying maestros from India was a challenge and experience for a person like me. But I have not disappointed any of them. I played for veteran flautist Chaurasia for a documentary and for Pandit Briju Maharaj for a Kathak performance. I performed with Shankar Mahadevan for a CD and with the inimitable Dagar brothers in a concert. I accompanied Buddhadhithya Mukerjee for a sitar recital and also with the Kathak exponent Andjanie Krishna for the production of a part of Tagore’s Gitanjali, to mention a few. When the tabla wizard Zaakir Hussain visited Amsterdam for a performance, I opened the show before he played.
Indian music in Holland
At present, I am teaching the tabla at SKVR Music School, Rotterdam. The students love Hindustani music as much as I do. I also conduct educational programmes in schools and theatres in the form of lecture demonstrations and short performances. Also there are many institutions and organisations in Holland that evince a deep interest in Indian art forms. I have performed at Maha Rishi Mahesh Yogi’s Vedic University in Amsterdam. I was the director of the India Dance Festival that lasted for seven weeks a few years ago. I have toured the whole world many times for performances.
Western music vis-à-vis Indian classical music
I was not trained in western music at all. I think this was a great advantage. The two streams are entirely different. I don’t think any musician can do justice to the two branches through fusion. Raga is raga, the height of melody and it is impossible to apply the technique of harmony on a raga. That is why when I perform with Kailash ensemble, I take special care to retain the identity of Indian music.
