Indian Music

His name is synonymous with music, and his mesmerizing voice has been tugging the heartstrings of music lovers across the world for decades now. However, KJ Yesudas (Kattassery Joseph Yesudas) isn’t stopping. As we walk in for this interview, he is busy practicing a kriti in Raga Bilahari for an upcoming concert. Does he practice rigorously even now? “Decades ago, …

If American actor Gene Kelly had to do a Singin’ In The Rain in Bollywood, he’d probably have to forget tap-dancing around lamp posts and let yards of clingy chiffons take over. For Bollywood, cloudbursts mean steaming up the rains either in celebration or sheer sensuality. It does not matter whether you are a film buff or a music aficionado, …

Over two decades ago, shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan heard a young woman singer, Soma Ghosh, at the ISKCON Auditorium here, and invited her to a musical ‘jugalbandi’. Almost petrified by the unexpected invitation from a towering personality like Khan Sa’b — as the world addressed him — Soma didn’t dare take up the gauntlet. Six months later, Khan Sa’b, …

Shillong, often described as “India’s rock capital”, is leading the way in honouring the American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan for winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. On Sunday, the Meghalaya capital reverberated with Dylan numbers — “Mr. Tambourine Man”, “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “The Times They Are a-Changin” and many more at the downtown Café Shillong and Cloud 9. …

The much-awaited 8th edition of the Chandigarh Arts and Heritage Festival 2016, organised by the Chandigarh Administration, is all set to provide unlimited entertainment. The festival will give an insight into the rich cultural heritage of the region through musical, literary and visual art presentations. The curtain rises on the mega cultural bonanza on October 6, which is Le Corbusier’s …

Among the boldest lines in Hindi film songs from a landmark epic where an imperial courtesan, who has already dared the monarch with her declaration of loving without fear, goes on to question curbs on women — remember the bewitchingly defiant Madhubala ask “Parda nahi jab koi Khuda se, bandon se parda karna kya?” It comes from no radical revolutionary …

In 1963, when Mubarak Begum Shaikh’s soulful voice urged listeners “Mujhko apne gale laga lo…” few would have been able to resist the urge to hug their beloved. The famous duet between Mubarak Begum and the late Mohammed Rafi has enthralled music afficionados even five decades after it hit the Indian musical charts. Years later, in 2008 she gave a …

In his less-than-a decade long career, 28 year-old Arijit Singh is already considered to be the voice of his generation. His success is a result of his long-drawn struggle. When he joined the music scene, the industry was undergoing a lean phase and though there were many big names, they weren’t getting good work. He started off as a music …

He doesn’t look for quiet corners, neither does he force himself to sit near a flowing river, and he definitely doesn’t need the pitter-patter of raindrops over his flat, to feel inspired. Punjabi music industry’s popular lyricist Jaani finds his words in the hustle-bustle of life. This young fellow from Gidderbaha, Punjab has given songs like Paani, Ek Taara, Jaguar, …

Sarod maestro Brij Narayan opines discipline is the common factor that unites all classical arts A sarod is what accompanies classical artiste Brij Narayan on his travels within the country and abroad. On a brief stopover in the city on the invite of the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademy, the maestro, who took up music following in the footsteps of his …