First appeared in www.scroll.in on June 21, 2014. Well before Western musicians began to interact with their Indian counterparts, travellers to India and British officials posted here occasionally wrote about their impressions of subcontinental traditions. Some of them were even amateur musicians. Interestingly, some of those centuries-old commentaries continue to colour the way we perceive Indian music. Since the 1950s, however, professional musicians from India and the West have been able to communicate with each other in a more
Author: Aneesh Pradhan
First appeared in www.scroll.in on June 28, 2014. Despite the existence of an overtly globalised market economy, nations and communities seem to have turned more insular than ever before. Beyond the obvious technological and economic impact that such an economy boasts, cultural ties often seem to be of a superficial nature. This is particularly true when cross-cultural conversations are event-driven or producer-driven. Those that are of an abiding interest and stand the test of time are the ones initiated
First appeared in www.scroll.in on June 14, 2014. Come June-July, musicians around India start to worry that their instruments will need repair, thanks to the humidity in the air. Typically, humidity affects skin-top instruments, but climactic excesses equally impact other hand-crafted instruments. Consequently, the significance of instrument-makers cannot be ignored by musicians. Indeed, they form a vital part of a musician’s career. A good musician builds a relationship with a master craftsman, and normally, maintains a strong tie with
First appeared in www.scroll.in on June 7, 2014. Kajri, a song form sung during the monsoon in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and neighbouring areas, possibly draws its name from the word kajal. The name also suggests a connection with the rain-laden dark clouds described in the songs. But the kajri does not limit itself to a description of the monsoon in all its glory. The monsoon also reminds the nayika of her beloved or celebrates love and union. Here’s a
First appeared in www.scroll.in on May 31, 2014. Providing relief from the intense heat of summer, the rains bring the hope of rejuvenation and fertility to flora and fauna. Not surprisingly, the monsoon is celebrated through music in India. For those associated with Hindustani music, the onset of monsoon conjures up aural images of raags from the Malhar family. There are several Malhar varieties, but one of the most recognisable is Mia ki Malhar. It is believed to have
First appeared in www.scroll.in on May 24, 2014. There are some compositions in Hindustani raagdari music that are common to all gharanas. For instance, the khayal creations of the eighteenth century composer Niamat Khan “Sadarang” are a necessary inclusion in any serious vocalist’s repertoire. There are also those khayals that have crossed gharana boundaries. The innate grandeur of such pieces and the urge to widen artistic horizons have driven musicians to add them to concert repertoire, despite their obvious
First appeared in www.scroll.in on May 17, 2014. Goa has given to Hindustani music some of its best women performers. This was possible because of the immense talent that these musicians displayed and the training that they received from respected teachers in Mumbai, a city to which they migrated in large numbers starting from the nineteenth century. Shobha Gurtu, a popular performer with Goan antecedents, created a separate identity for herself as a thumri singer. Taking elements essentially from
First appeared in www.scroll.in on May 10, 2014. While music lovers in Pakistan will soon be able to watch YouTube again after that country’s parliament decided this week to lift a ban imposed on the site in 2012, net users in the rest of the world have no problem viewing video recordings of renowned Pakistani musicians. Vocalists from both the Pakistani and Indian parts of Punjab display a virtuosity that has become an identifying characteristic of their style. Swift turns of
First appeared in www.scroll.in on May 3, 2014. There was a time when Doordarshan was the only television channel in India and there was no competition for TRPs. The state-run channel was used for government propaganda, but it also featured some of the country’s best-known Hindustani musicians. We had studio concerts in the presence of an invited audience, maestros were interviewed and there were also regular studio sessions without an audience that often left performers ill at ease. More
First appeared in www.scroll.in on April 26, 2014. As a practitioner of Hindustani music, I have always been amazed at how Indian musicians dealt with the new technologies that became an integral part of their profession in the early decades of the twentieth century. The performance context was entirely different from what they were used to in chamber concerts, and yet, after initial reluctance, they adapted wonderfully to their new circumstances. Proof of their musicianship and creativity is to