In an akhada run by his father with an iron hand, life for young Hari in 1940s Allahabad revolved mostly around a rich diet of milk and butter, and then being knocked down by his opponents in the mud pit. After the rigours of wrestling got over, the same boy, passionate about music, would use his lung power and coax the notes out of a small bamboo flute. “I wasn’t very good at wrestling. After those sessions, I would go and learn music at a friend’s house,” recollects Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, now 79.
Credit: indianexpress.com
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