He has a dream post-retirement position for which politicians didn’t have to be placated or institutions impaired. Its only requirement, that too unofficial, was to be born into a certain kind of privilege: growing up in Malabar Hill during British Bombay, listening to mum tinkle out Chopin and grandad hum Schubert. When he retired in 2000 from the Tata Group, Khushroo Suntook was summoned by NCPA founder Dr Jamshed Bhabha to help him transform the institution. His pay was going to be Re 1, but hisperk would be total immersion in the arts. During the 25 years since then, he has transformed NCPA into a national benchmark of high culture.Q: How has NCPA evolved over your 25 years at the helm?A: When I joined, NCPA was modest. It mainly had theatre, a bit of Indian music, someWestern music, but without any artistic ownership or organization. I brought in experts to restructure things, secured sponsorships and expanded our programme into four genres: Indian dance, Indian music, Western music and theatre. Over time, we built an orchestra (SOI), raised funding and started moving towards international standards.Q: Your toughest challenges?A: Funding. Globally, govts give grants, but here we rely on private donors. We lost money, but managed through loyalty and generous individuals like Dr Bhabha and JRD Tata. It was never about profit, but sustaining high standards.
Poll
Do you believe governmental support is essential for cultural institutions like NCPA?
Q: SOI is your brainchild. How do you see its journey?A: We’ve performed internationally, to acclaim. You know, we took SOI to Switzerland, of all the conservative countries in the world! We performed with Zakir Hussain the first of his concertos for SOI. I was petrified, I mean when we were in Zurich, and Zurich is really quite snooty. But at the end of the concert, all bedlam broke loose. And we said, “Now this is a surprise!” Zakir did break the ice. We also built an academy. Some of (its students) are performing globally.Q: We often compare ourselves with China. How do India’s cultural institutions measure up?A: China uses culture as soft power. In the ’70s, they had no music, but today they have opera houses, orchestras and world-class training. Despite being one of the largest economies, our govt spends very little on the arts, leaving most promotion to private hands. If India wants cultural influence, policy support is essential.Q: Given funding constraints, how did Covid affect NCPA?A: We paid our staff full salaries throughout. Teachers honed skills and expanded repertoire. We even improved our facilities and acoustics.Q: NCPA is seen as elitist. How can it become more inclusive?A: Our mandate is to present art at the highest level. While it’s easy to bring in pop acts, we insist on quality. But we do reach out through free rehearsals, student concerts, programmes at places like Prithvi Theatre and outdoor shows at parks. We must spread great art without diluting it.Q: Your vision for NCPA?A: Something I’m thinking of is a traveling van of players who go from city to city, like my friend (Sabyasachi) Mukherjee (DG of CSMVS) has made the travelling museum (Museum on Wheels). We want NCPA to be a global cultural hub while still rooted in India’s artistic traditions.
