There are a couple of thoughts of interest for this post. I can't seem to find the patience or focus to express it as part of a seamless narrative, so I shall keep them as separate bullets.
1. Coke Studio
I have a lot of respect for the people at Coke Studio in Pakistan. Firstly, their supremely talented house band - such wonderful camaraderie, their trance-like expressions in every performance, the satisfaction on their faces...so much to like about them, so much to learn from them. But recently, as I was watching a behind-the-scenes clip from their upcoming episode, I couldn't help but admire the man management skills of its producer, Rohail Hyatt. His ability to interact with different kinds of artists with equal panache was quite awe-inspiring. As a viewer, I get the impression that each performer, be it the house band or the guest artist, is provided with his/her own creative space, which is probably the most critical element for a collaborative process. This came across strikingly in this particular clip featuring Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, a renowned classical vocalist from Karachi, Pakistan.
Oh, such a wonderful video! The genuine respect, or 'adab', for such a senior artist is manifested, in their words, when spoken to the artist, or amidst each other, but also through subtle mannerisms, such as the floor seating. Rohail also seems to be doing such a wonderful job of facilitating communication between the artist and the house band. A lot of the credit for this experience must also go to the editing and video departments of the organization! Kudos!
I might just be way off the mark here, but Coke Studio@MTv, in their efforts to cash in on this well-established brand of Coke Studio, seem to have neglected some of these finer aspects, which makes their sister show across the border so endearing. Also, by not providing access to the audio/video of the performances for free, the show significantly distances itself from its fan base. It is an indication that they are not quite confident of their final product and hence would not like an extensive postmortem to be done. Also, to expect that the audience must simply trust the brand of "Coke Studio" to deliver, seems a little naive on their part.
As an aside, its a rather small world: http://www.hindu.com/mp/2011/06/14/stories/2011061422220100.htm
2. Baje Sargam Har Taraf Se
My time away from India continues to provide me with a lot of occasions to remind me of how much more there is to know about the country. Take for instance, the video, 'Baje Sargam Har Taraf Se'. As I attempted to identify the various art forms and the corresponding artists, I realized that my knowledge of the various dance forms is quite limited. Not to mention that I had no clue about the Veena exponent (or even ascertaining what the instrument was - I thought that maybe it was a Rudra Veena! :))
Aside 1: Sundaram Balachander: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundaram_Balachander#cite_note-3
Aside 2: S. Balachander's performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My9VUKzssp0
Epilogue:
I also stumbled upon the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship wikipage, which is the highest honour conferred by the Government of India in performing arts. It is quite a fascinating exercise to see, how many people one is aware of from the list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sangeet_Natak_Akademi_Fellowship
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