Indian tabla player Sandeep Das is a part of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble ‘Sing Me Home’ that has won the Grammy in ‘World Music’ category.
Yo-Yo Ma’s ‘Sing Me Home’ features tunes composed or arranged by different global artists. The album was released to accompany a documentary on Ma’s project titled ‘The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble’.
New York-based Syrian clarinet player Kinan Azmeh, who was recently stranded overseas when U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a ban, was among those who worked on the album.
Mr. Das, who was dressed in red kurta, said the ensemble sent a powerful message of unity and respect for each other’s cultures.
“When things like this happen, it impacts us directly because a lot of us come from a lot of those countries,” Mr. Das told reporters after accepting the award.
“In the current situation, I think we’ll keep playing more music and sharing more love.”
‘Proud to represent India on world stage’
Mr. Das says it was a proud moment to represent India on the international stage.
Mr. Das rues the fact that classical music is not accorded the respect that it deserves in the country despite its growing popularity in the West. “It is third time lucky for us. I am very proud of who I am and where I come from be it culturally or musically. I wish there were more acknowledgement from my own country for the music that is deep-rooted and in our blood over glitz and glamour,” Mr. Das told PTI over phone from LA just after his win.
“It is not a complaint but merely a wish. I hope there is more awareness about traditional music. I was invited to Harvard University but my alma mater Banaras Hindu University is yet to see something of worth in me.”
Mr. Das has been performing with Yo-Yo Ma, a respected and multiple Grammy-winning cellist, since the inception of Silk Road Ensemble.
