nidhiramblers

" The day is going to remain with us for a long time to come . One of those days when you go through a roller coaster ride of events that leave you breathless and anxious while on the ride, but then, at the end, give you this sense of fulfillment and joy and achievement. That was our day on Sunday, November 9, 2008. May be the right way to start writing about this day would be from 7 pm. That’s when the East Marries West recital began. We had the Royal Anthem followed by the lighting of the lamp by M.L. Poomchai Chumbala, a prominent member of Thai society and one of the most well known of the landscape artists and architects in Thailand. The program began with a solo recital on the cello by Saskia Rao-de-Haas . It is difficult to put in words the ambiance that she creates through her music and her presence on stage. In her hands, the cello becomes this soulful medium that adds a different dimension to Indian ragas. Many of us have heard ragas on the violin, but the sound prod...

The whole evening was unexpected. I did not know I would be meeting Maestro Zakir Hussain and shake hands with him. The only thing I could think of saying at that moment was 'I was fortunate to hear your father in the sixties...' and before I could complete my sentence he said ' And still you came... ( to hear me ! ) ' with a smile. I had no quick response for that! I did not tell him that I almost did not come. The program was titled 'Masters of Percussion'. I was not really sure about a program of this nature. I had heard him in India and was mesmerised by his exuberance and the sheer enjoyment he showed while accompanying on the tabla. I felt that it was better to keep my old memories intact. The concert was held at the 'M' theatre. I suppose 'M' meant modest. We waited at the lobby tucked in between 'Starbucks' in the front and the car park at the rear! As we went up to the theater, the stairs reminded me of the fire escape. Proba...