Saturday, May 06, 2006

Zaroor Suniye Saahab

"There is no essential difference between classical and popular music. Music is music. I want to communicate with the listener who finds Indian classical music remote." - Amjad Ali Khan. Source http://www.sarod.com.

You know, before today, I had never listened to Amjad Ali Khan Saheb bar a few minutes here and there - like in one of my all time classic comedy movies - Chashm-E-Baddoor. Remember when our man Siddharth (Farooque Shaikh) goes the shopping spree after getting the money order, and is going through the assorted LPs and requests to the unidentified shopowner "Zara ye sunaiyega, Amjad Ali Khan Saheb". And he obliges, "Zaroor suniye saahab". Then Siddharth continues shopping and the music continues to play in background. I like that situation in that movie, as so many other situations, very much. More so for the music. So I always tried to listen to his work. But so stuck I am between Pancham and Pink Floyd, it has really never worked out.

And after so many years, it was today when I listened to one of his CD 'Moksha'. And I am glad I did, even though I didn't understand any technicality like the raaga name. I even recommended it to my team-mate here and he recognized it as 'the music they usually play in the restaurants'. He is American, you see. :-) Btw, he liked it too. We then had some discussion on Indian music. Yeah, I am aware that I don't know much about it, but at least I knew more than him. :-) That was one "cross-cultural-exchange" objective I scored.

Btw, a question to my three readers (including me). Does anyone have that song I mentioned? I'd be happy to listen to it once again.

signing off,

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