SHUBHENDRA RAO

Concert in Dewas in memory of Pandit Kumar Gandharva

2011-01-12T23:07:00.000-08:00

Here I am, sitting in my hotel room in Dewas. Its the morning after my concert last night in Dewas in memory of the legendary singer, Pandit Kumar Gandharva. I have a train to catch at 5pm back to Delhi and my family and I look forward to seeing Saskia and Ishaan. I miss them even if I am away for just 2 days.

Last night was indeed one of my most memorable concerts. Playing in such a gathering where the audience can shake hands with you, sitting right in front of the artiste, where everyone is there because he/she wants to listen to the music, other wonderful musicians also sitting and listening and most important--in memory of a great singer. These luminaries are India's treasure and I have grown up listening to these great artistes. I was very happy when Kalapiniji invited me to perform this year and I was eagerly looking forward to it. I arrived here in Dewas straight from Bangalore where I had performed the previous evening with Saskia at Infosys. Drove 2hrs straight to the airport, caught a flight to Mumbai, spent 5hrs at the airport to catch my connecting flight to Indore at 6am. No sleep the whole night and surely was tired when I reached here. Slept a few hours and woke up with nightmares(or was it daymares since it was 10am). I was dreaming that I woke up at 9pm and the concert was supposed to start at 7pm--dreamt that my sitar was broken on the flight and there was no way I could perform. Dont know what these dreams meant but slowly, I got out of that horrible feeling and when I took my sitar, I felt a huge sense of relief. After a little while of playing, I decided that I would start the concert with Raga Hemant and maybe play Mishra Pilu or Manj Khanmaj after Hemant.

I reached the house where the concert was happening at about 7:30 when Kalapini ji asked me what I was planning on performing. When I told her that I would perhaps start with Hemant, she said that she had a special request and if I could play Baageshwari since it was a long time since anyone had performed it there. So, I decided to play Baageshwari instead of Hemant. In the audience was Vasundra Tai, Bhuvanesh Bhai and many other musicians and music lovers. Even as I started tuning on stage, I got this very special feeling and no words can describe this feeling. After a long time, I played without looking at my watch. These days, we are told by the organizers not to exceed an hour or maximum and hour and a half. I do understand the modern day constraints and am happy to respect it but there should be some concerts where there is no time restriction for the artiste since in our music, it takes about an hour for us to start feeling each note. The alaap, jod, jhala went on for over an hour. Soumen Sarkar, a wonderful young Tabla player from Kolkata was accompanying me and I decided to play Rupak Tala followed by Drut Ek Tala. He too was in a great mood and it was such a beautiful game we played on stage--each challenging the other, each appreciating the other. Sometime during the concert, I cut my second finger and it had started bleeding but I was totolly lost in the beauty of the moment to even notice it. It was only after I finished the concert that I started feeling the pain and realized that I had cut my finger badly. The second Raga I performed was Manj Khamaj and when I finished the concert, it was after 11pm. People were willing to listen more but aware of the fact that it was a weekday and people did have to go for work next morning, I decided to end it then.

These are the kind of concerts why I do this music. The beautiful feeling of letting go of everything and just enjoy the depth of this music, feeling each note deep within. Now I am beginning to understand what these great artistes mean when they say that music is an ocean and the deeper you go, the more you realize how little you know. The response from the knowledgeable audience, some who had heard my Guru in his prime and drawing comparisons with him, their blessings---indeed this is something I shall treasure all my life. No reason why we cannot have more such concerts where the artiste can express his deepest self to a hungry audience.

Have an exciting next few months ahead--US, Kennedy Center, Canada, Mexico, Europe and IRAN. I hope that I can continue to write and share some wonderful moments with you.

God bless.

Parents and family

2011-01-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

Its 4:44AM on 12th Jan 2011 and I am at Mumbai Airport waiting to catch my next flight to Indore. Will be performing this evening in Dewas in memory of the Legendary singer, Pandit Kumar Gandharva. Finished my concert with Saskia at Infosys last evening and rushed to the airport to catch my flight to Mumbai. Traffic in Bangalore is just unbelievable and I made it in time thanks to the fact that my flight was half hour late.

The concert last night was something very very special. Playing at Infosys which is perhaps the face of India's achievements in recent decades was indeed wonderful. But for some strange reason, even as I was lost in my music and enjoying Saskia's passages and my own Mishra Pilu, I was overcome by some beautiful emotions and thinking of my father even as I was conscious of my mother in the audience. A flood of emotions just took over me and all the sacrifices they made, the love they showered, the beauty of music to which they introduced me--I owe everything I am today to these 2 wonderful people who brought me into this world. How proud my father would have been to see his son and daughter-in-law yesterday. I miss you Anna. There is not a single day when I do not think of him or my mother. I could just not hold back my tears and I am sure many people in the audience also may have noticed it. Why does music have this impact? The beauty of the notes, the Ragas, enjoying the rhythms--everything just transcends you to a different plane where there is nothing but just emptiness and where one can enjoy the empty space you create. The same feeling overtook me a few minutes later when Saskia and I played our favourite composition that we feel brings out the best in both of us--a piece where we celebrate our little son, Ishaan. Being parents ourselves has made us realize the beauty of life. If on one side, I miss my father so much, I also enjoy my beautiful son. This is life and what a beautiful feeling to be able to share this feeling through my music.

Last few days in Bangalore has again been very special. For the first time, my mother got to enjoy her 4 grand children together. Just to see her eyes light up when she saw them all playing together, making jokes, eating together, going out to eat their special "Dosas" at 7AM. Ishaan is the youngest at 6 and Divya, my niece is the eldest. In between are Smita and Nikhit. I love each one of them passionately and am blessed to have such a wonderful family. God bless each one of them.

In Tokyo after Nagoya

2010-09-10T03:27:00.000-07:00

Here I am in Tokyo for the 2nd time. My first time was 3yrs ago but I did not spend much time here to get to know about the city. Tokyo seems like any big city in the world---large, crowded and huge,tall buildings with everyone in a rush. Somehow I enjoy the smaller cities and Nagoya surely was a lovely experience.

The past few days in this wonderful country has made me think a lot. Courtesy and honesty is something everyone can learn from the Japanese. In Nagoya, we were very well looked after by Jun san and Shinyo san. Jun is learning Tabla from Ty and Shinyo plays the Santoor. He was so happy when I asked him to bring his Santoor and play for me. He said that the few things I taught him has changed his life and now, considers me his Guru. They are just amazing people and the only word that comes to my mind immediately when I think of them is "cute". They looked after us so well and made sure we were comfortable in every possible way. The concert was in a beautiful Temple and it was indeed a spiritual experience. We had more than a capacity audience and many people, listening to Classical Indian Music for the first time. The sound was good too and somehow, I lost myself completely in the beauty of the sound. It was very hot and I surely sweated a couple of gallons but nothing matters when the feeling within is something special and I felt it last night. Both the Ragas that I played, Hemant and Kirwani are Ragas that I have performed many times but there was something magical last night. I could just feel each and every note vibrate within me and I let myself go like very few times before. To add to this enriching experience, I dreamt of my Guru where he told me that after hearing me, he felt that I was taking the right path and was on the right track!!!

People here are amazing. Last night after the concert followed by a wonderful dinner with some friends, we were coming back to our hotel in a Taxi. Our friends pre-paid the Taxi driver and on reaching the hotel back, he found that he had been overpaid and returned about 500yen back!!! Can we imagine this happening anywhere else? In Delhi, the auto and taxi drivers are waiting to fleece every single person. Why is it that people cannot be honest? I am sure that the taxi drivers here are also not the richest people but they live honestly. You cannot dream of tipping anyone here, either a Taxi driver or a waiter at a restaurant. It would be like insulting them if we tried to. What is also amazing is that you see very few cigarette butts on the street. Many people carry small pouches where they stub their cigarettes out and toss it into a garbage bin when they see one. It's funny that you can smoke inside restaurants and many buildings but cannot smoke near the train station.

Another thing I have noticed is that people are so healthy and it is indeed very difficult to see an obese person, be it someone young, old or middle-aged. Honestly, I have not seen a single person who is over weight. It cannot just be because of their small body structure but I am sure it is also because of their healthy diet. For me as a vegetarian, it has been tough since Japan is such a "fishy" place. Yesterday, Ty and I went to this amazing super market, Takashimaya and in the basement is their food section. Huge would be a small word to describe it but after walking around for almost an hour, we had to come out empty-handed since there was just nothing vegetarian there. Reminded me of the saying, "Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink". For me it seemed like "Food food everywhere but nothing to eat since I am a vegetarian". To top it all, I am practicing to eat with chopsticks(whenever I do find something vegetarian!!). I am sure that if you know your way around, you can find some places but unlike India and many places in the West, it is really tough being a vegetarian. The journey from Nagoya to Tokyo in the special Shunkansen train was just about 2hrs. This train travels at speeds of about 250km.

We have a few concerts in and around Tokyo next few days and I am really looking forward to appreciating Tokyo more. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to share my music with these lovely people and to get to understand them a bit better.

Signing off now and will try to write again in the next couple of days

Being a vegetarian in difficult places

2010-09-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

Here I am, sitting in my small room in an apartment in Kyoto and getting ready to leave for my next destination, Gifu. I arrived in Japan a couple of days ago and have finished 2 concerts. Everything about Japan is small and compact--the rooms, the men and women, the cars. This is my second visit to this country and the first time, I am trying to understand more about this beautiful and ancient culture. But not getting far yet since I don't speak the language. It is indeed very difficult to make yourself understood here and yes--being a vegetarian is a huge problem. Perhaps if you live here or can even make yourself understood, it may be a bit easier. Last night, Ty and I had to look at several places before finally finding something that could at least serve some sort of a soup that had only fish sauce. Of course, this was unacceptable to me even a couple of days ago but rather than starve completely, I have had to accept this. In some parts of the world, it is indeed difficult being a vegetarian and if you cannot speak the language too, it becomes very difficult. I wonder how I am going to manage the next couple of weeks. Will surely lose a couple of pounds!!!

The concerts have been amazing and it's wonderful to be able to connect with the people through my music. Even though the people here are initially hesitant to open their hearts, once they do so, they are amazing people. Some people have come up to me after the concert saying that they have never experienced such emotions ever before and were crying during the concert. Just proves the often said sentence that music is indeed the only universal language that knows no boundaries, no language, no religion. If only more people can love music passionately, this world would be such a better place.

Signing off now and will continue to write about my Japanese experiences.

"Naturally Inspired" In Edinburgh--Getting ready for Wimbledon 2011

2010-08-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

Saskia, Ishaan and I are here in Edinburgh for the 2nd year in succession. After the wet experience we had last year, we were prepared totally with our umbrellas and poncho for Ishaan but what a surprise!!! We have had the best weather here--quite cold for the August we are used to but I am not complaining. After the summer in Delhi and the humidity of the monsoons, I am very happy that I am not sweating at all. Actually, that's not true because I do sweat it out when I finish my hour long tennis every day. Tennis and me? yes--that's one of my "naturally inspired" projects here in Edinburgh as I prepare for Wimbledon 2011!!

I have always loved tennis but never had the nerve to hold a racket and start playing. Something in the air inspired me to start finally after 45yrs 8 months and a couple of days and here I am, trying to replicate Federer and Nadal. Luckily I have a wonderful sparring partner in Kees Nooren, my brother-in-law. But I was quick enough to understand that maybe I would not be able to play as well as Federer or Nadal but I have to admit--for never ever playing the game, it's going quite well and my dreams of competing at the Center Court in Wimbledon might still come true in my next life. If I had not taken up Sitar and Indian Music, maybe I could have picked up a tennis racket and found my calling.

On to serious matters---Saskia and I feel great to have been invited to this wonderful project called "Naturally Inspired". This is an initiative taken by one of the festivals in Edinburgh, the Edinburgh Mela festival. We have been put up in a beautiful cottage in the country side of Edinburgh about half hour away from the city. It's an absolutely gorgeous cottage surrounded by mountains and it's wonderful to breathe fresh air. Lovely weather helps and it's great to have some of Saskia's family and friends around since they decided to join us for their summer vacations. Ishaan is having the time of his life--playing with his cousin and friend from the minute he wakes up till they all finally just fall asleep. After a week of residency here, we are supposed to perform our "new creations" on Saturday at the festival and Sunday at the beautiful Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. Saskia and I have indeed been inspired by the beauty of the nature around us and have finished composing 2 beautiful pieces. We have given the names "Bonney Fierey"(meaning Beautiful Fairy in Galic). Not too sure what to call the other one but I suggested that we call it "Amitabh meets Sean Connery" to the other one. Just joking of course. But its a beautiful Scottish song that we are both inspired from and from which we take off into a beautiful Indian folk tune and an Irish Folk tune in the Raga Khamaj that we learnt in 2001 when we are in Galway from one of Ireland's wonderful musicians.

Its just so lovely that we still have these wonderful initiatives taken up by people. Just such a pity that in India, we are still only dealing with negativeness. All we read is about the corruption, be it CWG or some other corrupt politician or sensationalize rapes, murders or gossip about the Bollywood. Is there nothing else that the media can write about? Cricket and Bollywood is all Indian media writes about but wonderful initiatives like the one we are in gets no mention. Too bad but I am happy that the internet still gives us the opportunity to share our experiences with those people who are still interested in our work.

Will share with everyone how the events go this weekend. Till then--Cheers!!

My summer in Delhi

2010-05-30T23:44:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to write somethings for quite some time now but the weather in Delhi has just been so horrible that I have no energy left for anything creative. Going to Italy and France for 2 weeks made it even worse since the weather there was just perfect for me. Getting back to Delhi in the peak of its summer is not the wisest thing to do but home is home and there is no place like home. Had a wonderful time in Italy sharing Saskia's and my music with the wonderful audience there. We were performing in Cabella, a small village about 2hrs from Milan for the Sahaja Yoga Centre, devotees of Mata Nirmala Devi ji. I have had a wonderful relationship with many of them for over 15yrs now since my first concert for her in Berlin in 1994. I love the respect and love they have for our music and our culture and it is always a special feeling for me to play for them.

We rented a car from Milan airport and drove down to Saskia's parents in the south of France. Wow!! What a beautiful journey--through the French Alps and seeing some of the most beautiful sights of the world. Who can ever ask for anything better in life?!!! My music takes me to such beautiful places all over the world and to be able to share it with my 2 loves, my wife and my son, is indeed something that I could not even dream of. We spent 10 lovely days with Saskia's parents in what I call "paradise". All the creative games that Ishaan plays with his grandmother is triggering his imagination. To see him play with his grand father is always very beautiful. I miss the fact that Ishaan never got to meet his other grand father, my father, who I am sure would have loved him to pieces. My father passed away a few months before Ishaan entered this world and after having seen his relationship with my nieces and nephew and the beautiful bond they shared, I always wanted my child to build the same bond with his grand father. But I am sure that wherever he is today, he is looking down at Ishaan with a lot of love. Both Saskia and me attach a lot of importance to our families and it is wonderful to see Ishaan so comfortable in both the cultures and both families. Another beautiful thing to see was Ishaan's relationship with the dog there, Ursa. Ursa is a French Bria rd and one of the most gentle dogs that I have ever come across. For her to withstand the growth of 5 grandchildren who all adore her without any sort of anger is something admirable. If she gets annoyed by anything, she just walks away from the scene and comes back a couple of minutes later. Such control is what we all human beings should also develop. Is'nt this what meditation is all about? To control your emotions, not to show or express anger or other negative characters?

I also got to spend a couple of days with my brother in Geneva and enjoyed some great food with him. Bisibelebath with all the wonderful side dishes, Biryani--the way I like it--hot and spicy.

Since we were flying Emirates, we had to drive back to Milan to catch our flight. The journey back, we chose a different route. Drove through more exotic places like Nice, Cannes, Monaco, along the Mediterranean Sea. The international festival was on in Cannes but we decided not to enter the city and get caught in any traffic. I have to say that the Emirates is one of the best airlines I have flown. Wonderful and helpful staff, both at the airports and in the flights. The best thing was the way they looked after Ishaan. One of the gifts he got, a puppet called Pedro, the Parrot and Rani, the Tiger have become his favorite toys now. Saskia does an amazing interpretation of Pedro and Rani and its wonderful to see how much Ishaan learns through them. Saskia has almost created an "alter ego" for herself since she can say anything she wants as Pedro(the naughty one while Rani is the goody goody one). I do have some beautiful videos but she will kill me if I ever share it with you on YouTube!!! She hates it that I record all these videos but I am sure she will thank me when we both get older and only have memories of Ishaan's childhood to keep us occupied. The minute we stepped out of the airport in Delhi and the hot air hit us, I just wanted to run back and catch the next flight back!!

Well---I started writing with the intention of writing something different but have ended up writing something else completely. But that's what happens when I plan things out rather than be impulsive. So is the case with my music--when I plan something and work meticulously, sometimes they do not work out as well as I thought they would. But when I go with the flow of music and let the music dictate me, the feeling of joy inside me is something extraordinary. There are many times when this flow brings tears to my eyes even as I am performing. This feeling of joy to be totally one with the music is what I aspire for. I do not know when or what creates this feeling and what triggers it but whenever it does happen, it's sheer bliss that nothing else can give. Only the joy I get from seeing Ishaan is closest to this.

I do hope to be more regular with my writings since I do enjoy sharing my thoughts and experiences through this medium. Have a great time in whatever you are doing.

Two ends of the Spectrum called Life

2010-04-07T03:38:00.000-07:00

Today is the 7th of April 2010 and I wish to write about 2 people who are at the 2 ends of the spectrum called Life--my Guru, the Living Legend Pandit Ravi Shankar who is 90yrs young today and my little, beautiful son Ishaan who is 5yrs old.

90?!!! WOW!!!Happy Birthday Guruji. At an age when most people will be happy to get off the bed without help, this man continues to travel the world, sharing his music with people across the globe. He has been the strongest influence in my life since my childhood and I continue to look up to him like a son looks up to his father. There is not a single day when I do not think of him and count my blessings. The whole world is celebrating this genius and his life. I have been fortunate to have had his blessings all my life, my father being one of his closest disciples since the late nineteen forties when Guruji was in his late twenties. I grew up with all the stories my father shared with me--the many personal anecdotes---I could write volumes and books about him. He has seen it all and done it all and I wonder how it feels to be great Pandit Ravi Shankar.

At the other end of the spectrum is Ishaan--just starting his life, not knowing what life will unfold for him. The innocence, the burst of energy, the twinkling eyes, the uncorrupted thoughts and expressions--that's Ishaan. Full of life and a thirst to learn, Ishaan is an "exceptionally gifted child" with an IQ of over 150. This is indeed a huge challenge to take in - along with the pride and delight in his abilities and eagerness to learn comes the burden of responsibility of how to provide him with what he needs. Saskia is reading a lot to understand how to parent a gifted child like Ishaan and we have endless discussions every single day. There is no perfect school for him since no school will be able to give him everything he needs. Like Guruji telling me last time we met, "Take care of him. He is indeed special". No greater blessing to Ishaan than these whispered words.

Right in between these 2 beautiful people is me enjoying their worlds with my eyes. Its a wonderful place to be in--looking up to my Guru, and guiding my little son through tiny steps that he needs to take to find his place in this world.

I am indeed blessed.

Bleeding fingers and broken wrists

2010-03-02T02:52:00.000-08:00

Its been over 2 months since I last wrote anything on my blog page. Yesterday was Holi and I enjoyed a great celebration with Saskia and our beautiful son, Ishaan. Many wonderful things have taken place recently--my duet concert with my GuruBhai, Sarod player Partho Sarathy in Coimbatore. We were playing together after almost 10yrs but it seemed that there was never any gap at all. We played together quite often in the nineties but have gone our own individual ways the past few years. I am happy to see how well Partho Bhai is doing for himself. We were accompanied by the father-son duo of Pandit Anindo Chatterjee and his son, Anubrata Chatterjee on the Tabla and it was wonderful to play with someone as accomplished as Anindo da.

The other few good things that have happened recently are the international tours Saskia and I will be doing later this year and early 2011. In July/August, we have been invited by the prestigious Edinburgh Festival. After this, my adventures with my great friend Ty Burhoe and our month long tour of Japan. October is the month when Delhi will be hosting the Commonwealth games and I am happy that we will be touring South Africa during that period. Who wants to be caught in all the traffic jams?!!! But the biggest confirmation we have had is the concert at the Kennedy Center, Washington DC in March 2011. The Kennedy Center is organizing a 3-week long India Festival and we are billed as "one of the highlights" of the festival. Really looking forward to it.

The other thought that came to me recently after witnessing one of the most amazing concerts is a question that I am sure is asked by many. What is it that drives an artiste to such heights that one can even forget physical pain and go on to a plane where nothing matters except being totally one with the art. I have had a few occasions when I have cut my finger during the concert and its bleeding but I am completely unaware of it till much later when I take a pause in between my Ragas or during the intermission. On 29th Feb, I saw this same passion when I witnessed the concert of the great Kathak dancer, Saswati Sen. The concert was organized at my Guru, Pandit Ravi Shankar's Centre and it was wonderful to see the 2 great giants, Guruji and Pandit Birju Maharaj ji sitting right in front and enjoying Saswati didi's concert. Towards the end of her first item in Dhamar Taal, to everyone's horror, she fell down badly during her last Tihai. The whole audience was dumb-struck and a few people rushed on to the stage to help her. In just a few seconds, she was on her feet and apologized to the entire audience, continuing where she had let off as if nothing happened. I was sitting with Anoushka and we were counting the number of chakkars that she wanted to take and looked on breathlessly. To our great delight, Saswati didi not only finished the Dhamar without any more hurdles but went on to dance for over an hour after her fall. She even invited her guru, Pandit Birju Maharaj ji to sing the memorable Thumri that he had specially composed and as a concluding item, he even played the Tabla to the delight of a houseful audience. The full moon was a witness to this wonderful evening. Only next morning did I learn when I called Saswati didi that she had fractured her wrist when she fell down. Despite the pain, she did not stop even to take a breadth.

Its not money that drives passionate artistes to overcome bleeding fingers or fractured wrists but the deep desire to perform in front of an august audience and share all the years of hard work and practice with the audience. The need for recognition and respect is greater than the lure of the money and when I saw that same passion in Saswati didi's concert that evening, I was moved to tears. Thank you Saswati didi for re-kindling that feeling in me.

Welcome 2010

2009-12-29T03:55:00.000-08:00

As the world gets ready to welcome another year with great anticipation, maybe its time to do a little reflection about the past year. The Indian music world saw the loss of some of the greatest musicians of this century--Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Smt. Gangubai Hanagal, Smt.D.K.Pattamal being the most famous of them. Each of these greats are institutions by themselves and their loss leaves a huge void in the music world. What however saddens me is to see how the media in India in general reacted to this loss. A few lines, a small announcement in maybe Page 8, a couple of minutes from the news channels, was all they could think of as a tribute to these legendary musicians. These same people had pages after pages, hour after hour devoted to the demise of Micheal Jackson so much so that months later, people are still getting news about him. Have we become so corrupt mentally that we are unable to recognize our own "jewels" unless its "news" that increases the TRP ratings of the news channels or sells more copies of the publications? This is not to undermine Micheal Jackson or his standing in the popular world. What he achieved in his life time was equally laudable but please, do appreciate and respect the contributions of the great masters of Classical music too. International newspapers had bigger articles on Khan saab than what was written by the media in our own country.

I come from the same state as the great Gangubaiji did---Karnataka and one of my interactions with her is something that will always be fresh in my memory. She had invited me to perform in the annual music festival that she organized in memory of her Guru--Sawai Gandharva in Kundkol near Hubli. This is a unique music festival that is held in the house where her Guru lived and where she and her Guru Bhai, the great Pandit Bhimsen Joshi ji learned. The whole village becomes your audience and people travel from nearby places for these 2 nights when artistes come to pay homage to the great musician. The year was either 1991 or 1992 in Oct and I had just started performing a few years ago. My turn to play came around 4 or 5am. There was not an inch of space anywhere and I remember playing my Guru's composition, Parameshwari that morning. As I always do, I was totally engrossed in my playing with my eyes closed and opened my eyes only after finishing my Alap and Jod portion. My Tabla accompanist that night, Shri Ravindra Yavagal asked me to look behind me. There was Gangubai ji sitting right behind me on stage. I was completely floored that such a great musician was sitting behind me on stage and listening to me. I immediately told her, "Amma, why dont you please sit in front or on a chair nearby?" She said that there was no place and she was more interested in listening to me rather than think that it is below her dignity as a senior artiste to sit behind me on stage. Such humility towards music where she taught me that "art" is greater than the "artiste". The blessings she gave me after my concert that night is something that I cherish and value. A truly great musician is always the most humble too.

So, as we end another year and get ready to welcome the next, let's all sensitize ourselves a bit more where we can give equal space to Classical Arts and Popular Arts.

A very happy 2010 to everyone!!

Shubhendra

Sydney Opera House

2009-10-31T18:48:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post my first blog for the past few months but have just not been able to do so. But today, sitting here in Sydney in my hotel room, seeing the beautiful Sydney Harbor, the morning after my show at the famous Sydney Opera House, I thought that this is as good a day as ever to start sharing my experiences. Wow, what a show it was. Weird in many ways but highly satisfying to get a houseful audience at such a prestigious venue. Why do I say that it was weird? Well--never has my main string on the Sitar broken twice nor have I ever seen the Tabla break during my Alaap without even a single stroke!!!! Ty said that it was the Hallowen weekend in the States and perhaps, the spirits were out there in the hall. No wonder we call our music "spirit"ual music!!

What does it feel to make this long journey to such prestigious venues? Honestly, these are dream venues for all artistes to perform in and when I started out as a Soloist about 23yrs ago, I did also think that it would be wonderful to be playing at the biggest of the big venues---Carnegie Hall in NY and the Sydney Opera House was on that list. Yesterday when I sat in the Taxi and the Taxi driver asked where I wanted to go, there was a smile on my face when I said Sydney Opera House. Seeing my instrument, he asked if I was going to perform there and when I confirmed it, he said, "WOW. That's great, mate. So, you must be a famous musician?"

Do I consider myself a famous musician? I know that its a long journey but I have started taking the small steps by playing at such venues. I don't know whether just becoming "famous" is all I want but I also enjoy playing for the more intimate and small audience like I did a couple of days before Sydney Opera House. It was in a small place just north of Sydney in a place called Matcham. Most people living in Sydney have never even heard of this place but the love that the small audience gave me and my music in Matcham is also very special.

So, if I am asked to make my choice---Sydney Opera House or the small community in Matcham? Why do I have to even make the choice? I love performing at both the places and will always do both the Sydney Opera House and the Matcham type of shows.

Well---I have finally broken the ice by writing this blog today and now, will keep writing whenever I have interesting things to share. Have a great day.

Signing off on the morning of the first day of November and getting ready for my show this evening.