 Musical CollaborationsWhen we create ‘fusion’ from western and (Indian) classical music do you think we lose the originality of the genres? This and more questions were posed to carnatic vainika Nirmala Rajasekar when she was invited to speak to my students at Ahmedabad University. As musicians continue to collaborate in this pandemic let’s take a step back into history and watch this short video where the legendary sitarist Ravi Shankar collaborates with violinist Yehudi Menuhin. For a more recent take check out this article here. |
 Tyagaraja AradhanaFive songs. One collective voice. It’s unlike any other music festival and there’s a crowd gathering in the town of Tiruvaiyaru, near Thanjavur in January. The annual memorial to Tyagaraja, the saint-composer of carnatic music draws musicians from all over the world. In case you’re wondering what makes this festival so special do read this. |
 Desi Hip HopHip hop became popular in India with Thanda Pani by Baba Sehgal in 1991. What began as an underground movement for the African American community in NYC, hip hop (also called rap) continues to be a force of nature across cultures as we see in this song here. |
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Chitra Srikrishna 