No pain, no gain- a lifelong mantraEjaz Husaain

What are the limits of art? How far are you willing to go to create it?

While the time and situation may vary for everyone, every young artist has pondered over questions like these at least once during their musical journey.

For Ejaz Hussain, the moment of doubt arrived nine years ago, when as a teenager, he struggled to learn to play the sarangi.

"I still remember how I used to cry and question my decision, as my fingers bled profusely, practice after practice. The sarangi is one of the most difficult instruments to master, not only in terms of technique but also the physical pain that goes into it. I have not just dedicated my time and sweat, I have given my blood, literally, to become a sarangi player," recalls the 26-year-old Delhi-based artist.


Ejaz is the grandson of tabla maestro Ustad Bundu Khan and while growing up in a family with strong roots in Indian classical music helped him imbibe its essence, his official training only began in his teenage years.

"I was not interested in learning the tabla. I was always drawn towards vocals, especially Qawwalis," he recalls.

But, with time he realised he did not have the voice for it and found an alternative with the help of his teacher and distinguished sarangi player, Ustad Sabir Khan.

"Ustad Ji truly believed that the sarangi can mimic the complexities of vocals and that playing it is like singing—not with the voice in your throat, but with the one in your mind which is manifested through the fingers. This fascinated me, and I started my lessons at the age of 17," he says.

But, the pursuit of perfection was an uphill battle.

"I was young and would sometimes break down due to the rigorous training. Numerous long hours and hurting fingers later, when all the hard work began to show results, I realised the truth—no pain, no gain. And that mantra continues to guide me till date," adds Ejaz who is the third generation musician from the family, an emerging independent artist and a teacher at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, Delhi.

He is one of the few artists to have been selected to feature on the HCL Digital Concerts platform and has already performed at one such concert in collaboration with Bawari Basanti.

"A platform like HCL Concerts gives new artists a huge boost and opens doors, and it has done exactly that for me," he adds.

HCL Digital Concerts is a platform meant to identify aspiring musicians and provide them with opportunities to showcase their talent through digital as well as physical music concerts

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Excellence in performing arts is the consummation of years of rigorous application and expert training. The fusion of body and mind makes every expression of artistry truly world class. Just as HCL synergizes knowledge with endeavour to produce innovative solutions, HCL Concerts celebrates the sheer brilliance of human genius in the field of performing arts.