When Chandrika Tandon first came to America at the age of 24 to interview for a job at McKinsey& Company, she had no American degree and no green card. She did not even own a western outfit, interviewing in a sari and chappals, wearing a borrowed coat. Yet within a few years she went on to become a partner at this prestigious company, the first Indian-American woman to be selected.
Browsing: Indian classical music
Fathers leave children an inheritance of whatever they’ve acquired during their lifetime. But how is a musical legacy passed on? For fans of these master musicians, there is good news – the children of some legendary musicians are carrying on the legacy of their musical riches and New Yorkers had an opportunity to hear this new generation of performers at Symphony Space.
We talk to these emerging sons of famous fathers. What is it like to grow up in the home of a famous maestro like Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia? In this post, Rakesh Chaurasia talks about his famous ‘babuji’ and how he transformed his life. He says with heartfelt conviction: “I’ve not seen Krishna or heard the magic of his flute. So for me Hariji is Krishna.”
Ever visited Planet Shankara? You don’t need to journey as far as Mars or Pluto and you don’t need a rocket to get there but you will fly to a place of total musical bliss!
Planet Shankara is coming to you, right to the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Center and you’re in for a mind-blowing musical experience when three mighty talents come together – Anandan Sivamani – the magician of percussion, Anurag Harsh whose powerful voice transforms words into a direct conversation with the Almighty, and Stephen Devassy, the amazing keyboardist who has performed so often with AR Rahman.
A solo performance by even one of them would be heady enough but when all three are unleashed together on the stage, it is a joyous ride for the listeners, a musical monsoon to get thoroughly drenched in.
Rarely do you get to see two powerful titans of North and South, of Hindustani and Carnatic music, performing together – Shubha Mudgal and Bombay Jayashri.
What is fascinating about these two great musicians is that they have such rich backgrounds in the traditions of classical music but are always willing to try new things and also participate with western musicians. For them, everything begins and blossoms with music.
Fame is ephemeral. Nobody knew that better than Ustad Vilayat Khan, the legendary sitar player who passed away in 2004. His youngest son Hidayat Khan, growing up as the son of this famous musician, was used to many comforts and luxuries. Hearing his son one day brag to his friends in Maryland, the Ustad packed him off to a small neighborhood Indian restaurant to play the sitar for people eating tikka and kebab. Some guests would even shout out to him “Bhaiya zara rokoge to main khana kha sakaunga!” ( Stop, so I can eat my food!)
Living through the humiliation, the young musician learned to take all life has to offer, and even became friends with the waiters and patrons. Today Hidayat Khan, based in New Jersey, has come a long way but he remembers the main lesson his father taught him: “Humility.”