I survived my two years in a competitive place like IIMB mainly because of Rajan Parrikar. He has collected rare Hindustani music clips, including some priceless All India Radio 78 rpm clips from around the 1920s, and put them up here, playable in streaming mode. For an untrained bad-voiced someone like me, who doesn't know his panchams and madhyams but still loves classical music and plays ustad-ustad everytime he has a bath, this site is heaven. The introductions and commentary by Parrikar are special. Some paras are analytical, some enumerative, some detached, some witty, and some quite, quite opinionated. He's never politically correct- and that's refreshing. Here's a hot-blooded spiel against the scourge of 'ethnopimping':
"Now, if ethnopimp A saw Bhatkhande (remember that no ethnopimp has the ability and knowledge to understand much less critique Bhatkhande) he would conclude that the Chaturpandit didn't know his Pooriya from Marwa and publish this 'finding' in an ethnoporn rag. Then, ethnopimp B will refer to A's ejaculate and in a display of tautological genius declare it to be "seminal." Both A and B will then be awarded tenure at their respective schools...
Apropos of Indian music, the ethnopimp had once fancied himself as the intermediary between the Ustads and the lay Indian masses, arrogating for himself the onerous task (the proverbial "white man's burden") of explaining to the Indians their own music. Never mind that the titmouse wouldn't recognize swara even if it bit off his (or her) buttcheeks. Alas, things haven't gone quite the way the ethnopimp had hoped. The newer generation of Indians decided it wasn't going to play possum while the ethnopimp peddled his balderdash. Today, the ethnopimp lies in ruins, his family jewels shattered and his head combed at will by even the kindergarten-going Indian child. En passant, as a pleasurable pastime, I propose that Indians fund a 'research' grant to study the ethnopimps and the twaddle they have excreted all these years. A few ethnopimps could be rounded up to be our lab rats. At the end of this study (which ought not to take long - the combined 'knowledge' of all ethnopimps put together can be had for a penny and you'll get some change back) the poseurs can be officially certified for the sewer rats that they are."
Phew! That was something. I'm inclined to believe him though. I hope I don't resort to ethnopimping if I ever do a PhD. Anyway, if you love classical music, do add www.sawf.org/music to your Favourites, or click on 'Classical Music' on this blog, among the links on the top right. There are some Carnatic music clips too, but it's mostly Hindustani. There's a large collection of the Kanada raags (for late into the night), including Ustad Amir Khan's immortal 'mori aali ri jab se bhanak' in Raag Darbari Kanada and Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan's 'jaisi kariye waisi bhariye' in Raag Adana. Happy listening.
3 comments:
Adana is not a Kanada raag. But nice website thanks.
It is a Kanada Raag. Check the website's Kanada section; Adana and Darbari Kanada are in fact treated as cousins. Parrikar does it again: "Think of Adana as that slim leotard-clad babe you've been lusting after in the gym, and while you're at it, think of Darbari as your wife." On listening to the two pieces, I see where the metaphor's coming from.
nice -- though I'm getting a "no can do" message when trying to listen to any of the Real Audio clips from Parrikar. And God alone knows what bee got in his bonnet with that ethnopimp stuff. Who was he mad at, and why? one could wonder.
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