In the words of...

Sheila Dhar:

Hindustani musicians undergo rigorous training and possess incredible skill and control. However, the central object of their labours is not the cultivation of a 'beautiful' tone but the development of an almost limitless capacity in articulation. The physical sound of the music is, in ideal circumstances, only a medium and not the end product. To the connoisseur, a voice is only as beautiful as what it conveys.

The physical body of the music is to the musician what a writing tool is to the poet. The listener is trained to tune in to the lightly charged state of consciousness of the performer rather than to the physical condition of the sound that carries the music. Consequently, Indian ears are somewhat indifferent to the outer perfection of musical sound. Some of the most revered musicians have been and are people in their seventies. Their glory is in the truth of their experience and though their voices might have lost superficial lustre, the purity of their intention still shines through and is always the focus of attention for the initiated listener.

I read these lines minutes after I met Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar, and the words resonated in entirety. If you ever get a chance to read Sheila Dhar's writings on music, do. You won't regret it.