Asif Khan Inc.

the handshake concert

the north eastern part of india, without doubt, has been one of the most under-rated regions when it comes to exposure in the mainstream performing arts sphere. this, of course, is really sad and unfortunate considering the fact that the region is, and has always been, burgeoning with musical talent. the good bit has been that there definitely have been bands – and i’m talking of a time since a good couple of decades – which made their mark. the great society, mojo, and of course, lou majaw, have over the years been representative of the region’s talent, yet, they have been the only bastions most people would have known. and there has always been this lingering feeling that there is more to it than has met the eye, or err, ear.

21st june turned out to be special for me this way (of course, it is special to me, and will always be; those who know it also know what’s not so special about this day for me too, and they know what i mean – let’s just say reason took french leave on this day some years back), because it unveiled something which i lapped up with complete eagerness. as most would know, this day is celebrated all over france, and in quite a few parts of the world now, as ‘fete de la musique’ or the world music day. delhi isn’t much different now either, considering the cosmopolitan (ok, i say that with some trepidation) nature our capital has acquired by now. most of all, personally, i would still not really look for a reason to celebrate a festival of music, but if this day gives me one more opportunity to do so in a year, so be it. i’m happy!

so this year it was ‘the handshake concert’ – the idea behind the name being the spreading of love, peace, etc. through the singular action of a handshake. noble thought indeed, and quite a workable one. yeah yeah, munnabhai probably had a better one up his sleeve, what with the ‘jhappiyan’ et al. nonetheless, it’s music after all. and there could be no bigger force of action which could promote everything which is needed to bring balance into this world in a better way. period.

this concert was a very different experience in itself, and i don’t mean in terms of just the artistes. the venue was stein auditorium at india habitat center, and attending a gig at a seated gathering was a little unsettling in itself, specially when you are used to stepping over people’s toes to get right up to the front to take pictures and trying to save your equipment (and yourself) from raging moshpits, unless of course, you are part of them. so it goes.

soon we had luke kenny coming on stage, the usual niceties being exchanged, and finally, we being treated to what we were there for. the first ones to come on stage were cultural vibrants, a trio of sisters, decked in their traditional gear with voices that resounded in perfect unison as they harmonized their pitch with the assistance of a solitary mono-stringed traditional instrument. unusual was the first word that came to mind, nice being a close second. or maybe the other way around. and as is turned out, the latter part of the gig was to contain some unusually nice voices. i use the word unusual because i’m not really used to being faced with such stuff, but then yes, i have learnt, rather evolved myself, to have an open ear. the quarter of tetseo, which were actually a vision by themself too, had some really complex vocal harmonies being transposed over each other, with one half handling the alto section and the other taking care of belting out the tenor part. short and sweet, till now. what did come as a surprise, and i mean, s-u-r-p-r-i-s-e, was when luke uttered something about the phantom of the opera. you mean, whaa? of course, i do pride myself about my books, but then of course, i haven’t read it, and the only experience i’ve had with this musical is looking at one of the posters at big chill (yes, the one which says el fantome d ‘el opera) while waiting for my food, or the gerard butler-emmy rossum starrer. oh, and did i forget mentioning iron maiden? this place was by the farthest stretch of imagination, the least where i’d have expected to hear an operatic rendition of a musical. but so it was. when asin and nise assumed their places, and began singing, it was pure symphony. absolutely worthy of a standing ovation.

the rock n roll country that the north east is, this genre could anyway not have been left ignored. there was o.f.f., which sounded quite promising. young, energetic, with a fair bit of a punch in their alternative laden music. given the right kind of exposure, they could hit it off well. one of the earliest proponents of electro-rock, medusa, came up from mumbai too. i was watching them after close to three years, and the last time i saw them, was a mad experience. maybe it was the venue and the setup, but then i did have a feeling they maybe lacked their earlier insanity (and i think they might not find it respectable to be called sane either). there was something lacking – maybe there was some more growth, musically, which i expected, i’m not sure – but they couldn’t really fill up the venue the way they could have. raxit was all the over the stage as usual, which is something i’ve liked about him. vocalists are definitely not expected to stand still with their mouths trying to make love to the mic at all times. the high point of course was when soulmate finally emerged as the crowd yelled out their name in frenetic anticipation. tips was the personification of the expression ‘angelic vision’. draped in pure white, she patiently fixed butterflies to her mic stand, as there were gasps being subdued in the crowd. it was flower power in its fullest glory that night, made complete with a peace medallion. when it comes to blues, there is nothing which can come in the way of calling soulmate one of the best acts to have been seen in a long time. with her raging voice and effervescent theatrics, tips adds to the sweltering longing of rudy’s guitar – all of which oozes itself in the form of a lingering pleasure.

the gig wasn’t without its share of biggies of a bigger kind either. grammy nominated buddhist monk, tashi lama, enchanted the audience with prayer chants, gurgling in a voice which had a bass tone that defied all conventions of what is generally called ‘singing from the pit’. and finally, our very own pt. vishwamohan bhatt – grammy winner, creator of the mohan veena – which was something being looked forward to, and wasn’t disappointing either. after all, he did try some blues on his strings too.

this was, for sure, one of the best concerts i’d have attended in a long, long time. not just because of the quality of the artistes, but also because of the sheer diversity in the genres displayed, and the biggest being that yes, my faith was re-affirmed that the north east does thrive with talent. musical talent of a different kind too from what i was expecting. any concert assumes a special meaning when it lends itself as an aid to musical discovery too, anyway.

images from the gig can be viewed here. anybody wishing to use these may contact me please.