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FROM RAGA TO RICHES
Any exploration of Indian music cannot overlook the influence it’s had on some of the biggest names in the business. This phenomena is called Raga Rock.
The Beatles traveled to
India and incorporated classical instruments like the “Sitar” into their music to achieve the psychedelic feel. Get a hold of
the Beatles’“Norwegian Wood”, “Tomorrow Never Knows” and “Strawberry Fields”, the Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black” and the Kinks and the Byrds’ “Eight Miles High” to get a feel of Raga Rock. The trend was made popular by a number of prolific Indian classical musicians such as Ravi Shankar.
4). SOLD ON SUFI
Sufi music transcends religious boundaries. Its music that connects with the heart and gives precedence to love for humanity above all else. For music that traces its roots to the 14th century, “Sufi” music has acquired a steady fan following muck like the rock genre of the sixties. Contemporary singers like the late Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Abida Parveen from Pakistan, Indian Shubha Mudgal, Baul singers from Bengal and even pop groups like Junoon have all contributed to re-vitalizing this unique singing tradition. In India, noted film-director Muzzafar Ali has been associated with Sufi music and Sufism for years now. His Jahan-e-Khusrau festival has now become an annual congregation of eminent Sufi singers from all over the world. Traditionally Delhi has had a special place in the spread of Sufism because a number of great Sufi saints like Amir Khusrau and Nizamuddin Auliya lived here. What started in dargahs and mazaars (tombs and places of worship or remembrance) years ago has today metamorphosed into a singing culture. Hazrat Moinnudin Chishti, Hazrat Khwaja Bakhtiar Kaki, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, Baba Farid and Amir Khusrau spread their message through hymns and Qawwalis.
Sufi music varies from region to region. Its spread is attributed to Fakirs who traveled to different parts of the country and picked up regional nuances and styles. The oldest and the most widely admired is the Qawwali developed by the Chishti clan and later popularized by Amir Khusro. Punjab’s Bulleh Shah, one of the most revered Sufi saints had an inimitable style of singing. Avadh, Rajasthan and Kashmir had their own distinct formats.
Internationally, the greatest influence of Sufi music has been on Iran. It also found acceptance in Turkey, Sudan and even Israel. At every place it created its own separate order by intermingling with the local culture and using local dialect to spread its message.
Just as the Indian sub-continent is tripping on the Sufi experience, the West too has discovered Sufi music in a big way. Not surprisingly, Iranian Sufi saint and poet Roomi is among the largest selling authors in America. Sufi schools of thought have sprung-up in places like Amsterdam and Boston.
We are ending our musical tour on a high note. One way or the other, Indian music in whatever form is strumming and humming its way into the hearts of music lovers across boundaries.
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