Live: Anoushka Shankar
I got an opportunity to attend Anoushka Shankar’s live show last week. I love listening to Indian classical music though my understanding of its nuances is zero. I just love the sound and I often play them while working to get into a zone. Listening to Indian classical music gives me peace. I have attended Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna garu’s show and Remember Shakti’s show in the past.
I got a ticket for a seat right in the 2 row from the performance stage. This close proximity definitely created a profound experience on me. Anoushka has started with a Raga that had 10 and a half beats (later I learned that playing 10 and a half beats are tough and very few artists do it). This Raga was a bit slow. I tried following the beats count. Later she played a Raga that had 12 beats. I found it hard to count the beats and used to lose count after a certain point. This Raga had the sound of Shehnai.I love the sound of Tabala and was waiting to hear the Tabala.
Finally, the sound of Tabala started in the 3rd Raga that has 16 beats. The music’s pace has increased a bit now. The troop has performed 3 more Ragas and took a break. After the break, the sounds of Flute and Mridanga has joined the action. The pace of the music has increased a bit more. It is full of life now. I stopped keeping the count of the beats and started observing the hands of Ojas (on Tabala). At the pace he was playing the Tabala I could only see his hand like a string moving in the form of a wave. This sight gave me a lot of joy.
In the second half, the troop did a lot of Jugalbandi and Sawaal Jawab forms. The whole crowd was immersed in the performance. I closed my eyes and was in ecstasy. The highlights of the evening are the Jugalbandi among the Sitar, Tabala, and Flute and the Sawaal Jawab between Mridanga and Tabala. The show ended after 70mins. I felt a lot of emptiness in my heart. I wished the show had gone all through the night. It was a great Saturday evening that I will remember for life.
