Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash do a sound check just ahead of their performance at Saarang 2005, the IIT Madras Cultural Festival on January 21, 2005. The few students, who have turned up in advance, are enthralled. The brothers depart to the greenroom, and as though in protest, the heavens open up, and there’s a downpour. “It’s a good sign.” reassures someone. And suddenly, it’s my turn to interview the brothers. Most people know that Amaan Ali and Ayaan Ali Bangash are Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’s sons. Not many are aware that they belong to the 7th generation of an unbroken tradition, the Senia Bangash Gharana. The tradition was started by Ghulam Bandegi Khan Bangash, credited to be the inventor of the Sarod. Ayaan, the younger of the two, says, “We have been handed down a legacy and count ourselves fortunate for it. However, a legacy is no substitute for hard work. If we perform poorly, our legacy is no longer adequate.” Amaan adds, “The instrument has changed since its creation, more from the angle of expression. Our father is responsible for making the sound as expressive as the human voice.” Both Amaan and Ayaan are also disciples of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. Initially, they saw it as a complex relationship, but were later able to mentally separate the roles of disciple and son. They played their respective solo debut concerts when they were eight. Amaan says, wistfully, “As children, we were more interested in what we were wearing for the concert. The turning point came for both of us during one concert abroad, where there were many eminent musicians in the audience. After the performance, there was a dinner, which our father did not attend. He was so disappointed with our performance, that he developed high fever. This was when we realised the extent to which our performance mattered to him.” Since then, the brothers have performed extensively in India and abroad, and won accolades aplenty. They have also gone off the beaten track by hosting Sa Re Ga Ma, for Zee TV, when their name and popularity reached the living rooms of many an Indian family. “We did Sa Re Ga Ma for two years. Popularity apart, it brought a new section of audience to our performances.”says Ayaan. Amaan and Ayaan have also authored a book, ‘Abba – God’s greatest gift to us’ for Roli Books as part of its Family Pride series. The book is said to be written with great sensitivity and grace, the very qualities that Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is renowned for. As for their composing skills, the duo have worked on the soundtrack of a film set in an Indian call-centre, ‘American Daylight’, directed by Roger Christian. Due to its setting, the film will first be released in Bangalore and then move to other cities. “But do buy the album”, insists Ayaan. So, what are Amaan and Ayaan’s plans for the year? “We perform at a concert in memory of M.S. Subbulakshmi at Delhi on January 28th, 2005. After that, it’s the usual concerts in India and abroad. We will, of course be coming down to Chennai as often as in the past.” “One thing we don’t understand is, why don’t the Sabhas here invite us to perform? Be it Carnatic or Hindustani – at the end of the day, Music is Music.” chips in Amaan. (edited version published on January 27, 2005 in Madras Plus, the city features supplement of The Economic Times, Chennai. Pic courtesy Third Eye, as published in magazine)

“This is my 12th visit to Chennai, and I’ve seen a change in the audience here. It’s not drastic, but they certainly have changed.” says Astad Deboo, considered a pioneer of Modern Indian Dance, adding, “However, getting sponsorship from Chennai-based corporates is as difficult as ever!” Taking some time off rehearsals to chat with us about his latest performance in the city, Astad says, “CONTRAPOSITIONS is based on the nava rasas, to be performed along with me, by eight trained dancers from the Clarke School for the Deaf, Chennai. In the last couple of years, I have collaborated with them, initially for short sequences. But with CONTRAPOSITIONS, for the first time, I’ve choreographed a full-length production for the deaf. A year in the making, it’s all thanks to the generous grant from the Royal Netherlands Embassy that it’s been made possible.”  Says Astad, about the logistics of managing this performance while globe-trotting, “I’ve been visiting Chennai from time-to-time to work on this, but it’s been Lakshmi Mahesh and Narayani Venkatasubramanian, both teachers at the Clarke School, who have sustained the continuity of the process while I’ve been away.”  His association with the hearing impaired community, began 16 years ago, as a one-off workshop for Action Players in Calcutta, and has grown to productions, performance tours and collaborations with the deaf community in India and abroad.   “There are challenges with working with the hearing impaired, and different groups present different challenges. Not all of it has to do with synchronising movements or simultaneous coordination. For example, the students of the Clarke School for the Deaf are trained dancers, so, they have a basic rhythmic pattern and need to be instructed on the pace – slow or fast. Also, they were introduced non-Indian dance movements, which they were not familiar with. In fact, it has been a collaboration in every sense of the word as they have also been giving inputs. The Action Players in Kolkotta are basically actors who dance, so, the energy and effort they put in, is different. Mind you, both groups have had to work very hard!” he says.  As for the group’s plans, he says, with pride, “After performing CONTRAPOSITIONS in Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai, in January 2005, this same group of dancers, will perform at the opening ceremony of the Deaf Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. After that, it’s on to Malaysia for a show for the deaf community as well as a workshop for deaf students.”   It’s on to Munich after that, for Astad, to perform for a series whose title translates in English to Bringing Public Spaces Alive – and for this, he will perform at an underground station there!  As Amit Heri’s compositions fill the room, the dancers take their positions to resume rehearsals, and all at once, the line dividing the hearing impaired from the rest, becomes faint.  CONTRAPOSITIONS premieres in Chennai on December 9, 2004 at 7 p.m. at the Chinmaya Heritage Centre, No. 2, 13th Avenue, Harrington Road, Chetput, Chennai 600031. Tickets are available at Landmark (both outlets) and Odyssey.

Sixteen-year-old Nirupama Raghavam’s tryst with Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Parthiban Kanavu goes back to the time, three years ago, when her grandmother gifted her a few Tamil books hoping to get her to learn the language.  “Most of the books my grandmother gave me were non-fiction. But Parthiban Kanavu stood out because, quite literally, the book had an interesting cover and was also one of the few Tamil fiction titles among the lot,” says Nirupama of the book that proved a turning point for more than just her reading habit. Last year, Nirupama completed her translation of Parthiban Kanavu from its Tamil original to English. Her recently relased book, published by Tulika Books in association with the MR AR Educational Society is called Parthiban’s Dream. And to think this dream grew out of Nirupama’s need to express the story to someone who didn’t read Tamil. “One of the students in the non-profit school that my mother runs, didn’t read Tamil but wanted to know what the book was like. I narrated the story with such detail that my mother insisted I should write it down as a translation. And look how far that has come!” she says, visibly excited to see her work in print.  “I spent ten months translating the book, although I was reluctant at first. After getting help for the first seven chapters, I started translating it on my own. In retrospect, it has been a great experience, as my interest didn’t slacken and boredom didn’t creep in. It probably has to do with the fact that the original book itself is so exciting,” she exults. “I fell in love with the characters in Parthiban Kanavu – Chakravarthi, the emperor, so majestic, yet so free of ego. Imagine a ruler wielding so much power, yet not letting it affect him! And of course – Valli, an extremely smart woman. Although women in that era have been portrayed as powerless, here’s one who is represented as extremely intelligent. Also, the original was written so well, that it has inspired me to learn more about South Indian History.” Nirupama lives in Arasavanankadu, a village near Tiruvarur where her mother runs a non-profit school.A n interesting factor in Nirupama’s upbringing is that she has been completely home-schooled. Doesn’t she miss attending a regular school? “ I don’t miss company as we have the school my mother runs. And add to that the fact that I am taught for about two hours every day leaving me free to learn anything I want the rest of the day! Besides, I also get to teach Maths, Geography, chanting and a little music part-time at the school.” Moreover, books form an integral part of Nirupama’s life. Isaac Asimov, Terry Goodkind, Ayn Rand and Richard Bach are among her favourite authors. K.M. Munshi’s Krishnavatara and Rajaji’s Mahabharata have also played a part in developing her taste in books. So, where to from here, young Nirupama? “I currently write for myself and am in the process of writing something original which should be completed by December this year. As for the future, I am yet to decide what I want to do. It’s still “Work in Progress/Under Construction.” Nirupama Raghavan’s book, Parthiban’s Dream is available in bookstores in the city.  (edited version published on November 18, 2004 in Madras Plus, the city features supplement of The Economic Times, Chennai. Pic as published in Madras Plus)

“The idea for the Jazz Lecture Discussion series and Outreach Program, originated last year in Delhi, with a workshop I did for Spic Macay on Jazz. They were pleasantly surprised to find that the whole concept of jazz being unstructured music, was a misconception.”, says Madhav Chari, Jazz musician and composer, based in Chennai.  Madhav Chari is no stranger to Chennai. He is an accomplished jazz pianist having performed with many jazz luminaries across cities in the US and also in Canada. He moved here a year ago, with the intent of performing here, as well as continuing his studies in Indian Classical Music and Philosophy. He has performed on various occasions over the past year in Chennai, not to mention at prestigious venues such as the NCPA in Mumbai and Jazz Yatra in Delhi and continues to perform internationally. He is now presenting India’s first jazz and modern music outreach program, right here, in Chennai. The program is two-pronged, with an outreach program for educational institutions and a Lecture Discussion series for the general audience. Dwelling a little more on the popular misconception about jazz being an unstructured form, Madhav clarifies, “Let’s say I placed you in Senegal, and you heard people there speak Wolof. You may not understand it, and it may sound to you, with your framework of English grammar, like babble. This doesn’t mean it’s an unstructured language. The same applies to jazz. Jazz is fundamentally, fusion – a hybrid between languages of music. As a product of parent languages, it took many generations for it to become a finished product with a structure and a well-developed grammar.” About the lecture discussions, he says, “The objective is to increase awareness about jazz and modern music in India. At a different plane, for those who have no formal background in music, I hope they learn more about music and its connection to society. When they go to a jazz concert after these discussions, their perspective towards jazz, and in general, any kind of music, would change.” Why the Lecture-Demonstration format? “To understand jazz, or for that matter, any form of music, there are vast theoretical resources. But there’s nothing quite like experiencing it. If you listen to the Blues, you feel the emotion. No amount of written matter can replace that experience. After all, there are limitations to language when it attempts to describe something from another medium. Which is why, I’m also doing performances with my lecture discussions.” says Madhav. Alongside the workshop for the general audience, Madhav is also attempting an outreach program among schools and colleges in Chennai. “The inspiration for the outreach program was a cute 10-year old boy at a school in Delhi. He was totally into what I was explaining about music and snapped up all that I taught, especially things like rhythmic patterns, at one go. When I asked his teacher how they were planning to nurture his talent, she mentioned that they were thinking of piano lessons. Here was this rhythmically gifted kid, who, by virtue of living in Delhi, had access to some extremely talented local resources like Tabla players from various Gharanas, and his talent was being diverted to the piano!”, says Madhav. This got Madhav thinking about a workshop for children and after a pilot at Amethyst earlier this year, he’s all set to get working at schools and colleges. Why Chennai? “Unlike other cities, where people claim to understand jazz, in Chennai, we have an audience that is starting out with a clean slate and an inquiring mind as far as jazz is concerned. Moreover, they are attuned to the musical grammar of Carnatic Music and that makes it all the more interesting when I draw a connection between the two musical forms in terms of their structure.” Two topics of the seven planned under the Lecture Discussion series for the general audience, have taken place already. The remaining topics are: Feeling the Blues (Sep 25, Saturday, 3 PM, Amethyst), American Popular Song as Profound Artistic Statement (Oct 1, Friday, 6.30 PM, Max Mueller Bhavan) , The Movement of Africa (Oct 2, Saturday, 3 PM, Alliance Francaise), Thelonius and the Many Moods of Monk (Oct 8, Friday, 6.30 PM, Max Mueller Bhavan) and Telling a Good Story (Oct 9, Saturday, 3 PM, Alliance Francaise). No registration or tickets are required, but the venues have limited capacity.  (edited version published on October 2, 2004 in Madras Plus, the city features supplement of The Economic Times, Chennai. Pic courtesy Third Eye, as published in magazine.)