Folk singer Malini Awasthi is the recipient of Padma Shri 2016 and the award has made her happy not only for the recognition of her art but also for the genre she dabbles in. “I have long felt the pain as folk music does not get recognised as much as our other traditional art forms. The award means that the …
Read More »Punjabi singer Gurdas Mann – Soulfully yours
To describe him in a few lines or sentences is always an unlikely possibility, so most of the times his description settles with the word ‘sufi’! Gurdas Maan whose on-stage energy gives any new Punjabi singer’s stamina a run for money, can still hold a live audience captive for hours. He talks measured, taking small peaceful unheard breaths, as he …
Read More »People losing interest in pure classical music: Amjad Ali Khan
Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, who has enthralled audiences all across the globe with his mellifluous music, is concerned that people are today more interested in fusion than pure classical music. “Today people are more interested to see collaborations. Why are people more interested in fusion, what is the reason and why is it happening? It is a very big …
Read More »Vocalist Jai Thirath Mevandi – Indian classical ragas can work as alternate medicine
Hindustani classical vocalist Jai Thirath Mevandi belongs to the land that has given gems like Pt Sawai Gandharva and Pt Bhimsen Joshi. Following his mother who hummed devotional songs while doing household chores, Jai Thirath took a liking to music right from his childhood. He started learning classical music under Pt Arjunsa Nakod at the age of 14. Inspired by …
Read More »A selfie with Arif Lohar in Chandigarh
Hands in the air, mobile phones, camera, and action! As Pakistan-based folk musician, Arif Lohar, arrived at Paara, a night club in Chandigarh, to perform, the audience that kept waiting for three hours pulled their Smartphones out and clicked selfies and videos with Arif in the backdrop! What followed later was a Friday night drunk on the beats of dhol …
Read More »Indian classical music has a strong following abroad: Anoushka Shankar
Internationally acclaimed sitarist Anoushka Shankar says Indian classical music has a strong following abroad, but it’s “such a shame” that the genre’s popularity hasn’t translated in the country of its origin. The daughter of late sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar earned her fifth Grammy nomination this week for her album “Home”, which reaffirms Indian classical music’s hold in the West. …
Read More »Jodhpur Rajasthan International Folk Festival – Tunes of the dunes
A heady mix of rustic and contemporary notes and global rhythms — Rajasthan folk festival encourages and promotes people’s music Jodhpur RIFF (Rajasthan International Folk Festival) is different. It is music from dawn to midnight and beyond. It coincides with Sharad purnima — the brightest full moon each year. From finding one’s way in the dark before dawn, to get …
Read More »Jodhpur’s Rajasthan International Folk Festival – Presenting new forms of music
Presenting a platform for the folk and root musicians of Rajasthan with international music collaborations, Jodhpur RIFF, which will present its ninth edition during October 23-27, has been creating new music for not just audiences but to the country, festival director Divya Bhatia said. Jodhpur’s Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF), with its Rajasthani folk musicians and international artists, has been …
Read More »Meer Taqi Meer: Famous 10 couplets
Mirza Ghalib once said this about Meer Taqi Meer, another renowned poet of his time: “Reekhta kay tumhi ustaad nahi ho Ghalib, Kehte hain agle zamane me koi Mir bhi tha. “(You are not the only master of Urdu, Ghalib. They say there used to be a Mir in the past).” Born in Agra on September 20, 1723, Meer is …
Read More »Navraj Hans & Dil Sandhu – Sincerely Sufi
Huge solitaire studs in both ears, hair sticking up stylishly, kadak moochen and a groomed beard, as Navraj Hans walks in to announce his next single in Maverick, Piccadily Square on Tuesday, everyone present can’t help but notice. In tow, is his ‘veer’ Dil Sandhu, who has rapped for the song. A typical Punjabi number set in a wedding backdrop, …
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