Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Another team that won hearts
Vikku Vinayak, Zakir Hussain, Fazal Qureshi, and Selva Ganesh performing at a programme organised by Shankara Foundation in Bangalore. — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash
WEDNESDAY NIGHT will be remembered in Bangalore for weeks to come. Not just because of the World Cup victiory. There was a unique assembly of India's leading percussion artistes, all on the same stage.
The stage was the open-air theatre of Shankara Foundation on Kanakapura Road. Well outside the City, so that no spoilsport law enforcers could prevent a late night musical event, as they can if it is organised downtown.
Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain was there. He was accompanied by cousin (?) Fazal Qureshi with a percussion instrument of his own. Also the father-son duo of Vikku Vinayak on the ghatam, and Selva Ganesh on the kanjira. Rhythm in plenty, as also innovative music, which went beyond all genres of music to create an atmosphere of its own.
The concert, sponsored by Hindustan Lever, started at around 8.30 p.m., and the crowd was obviously lovers of good music, because the cricket match so crucial to India's standing at the World Cup was being aired live on TV. Not that these music-lovers were indifferent to what was happening in Durban.
There were many who frequently consulted their mobile phones and pagers to know the latest score. All done discreetly, without disturbing anyone. The evening was cloudy, and halfway through the concert, there was a steady drizzle. What the organisers and musicians did was to declare a short intermission while many took cover.
There was something ironic about the timing of the rain gods. Zakir and the others were playing the sounds of a train gradually speeding up when the first drops began to fall. The rain almost derailed that musical train.
Just minutes earlier, the percussionists had played a number inspired by the sound of falling rain. Talk about music bringing rain!
Whenever the musicians went into an inspired improvisation, the audience joined in, clapping to the rhythm. This degree of audience participation was again something very different from the usual concert in an air-conditioned auditorium. There is something about sitting under the stars (even if the sky is cloudy) that makes people feel more relaxed.
Shankara Foundation is almost one year old and has developed fast into a friendly cultural centre for artistes, artisans, and art lovers. These initiatives need extra support to be self-sustained, and `Artitude' a new arm of Shankara Foundation, will do it. To know more, dial 8435133.
By Rasheed Kappan
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
|
