By no stretch of the imagination am I even qualified to talk about music. But I am an avid listener and I react to different kinds of music with the different senses I’ve been blessed with. And what follows are just that…

My reactions to a musical evening at The Park as part of the Park New Festival 2015.

Some time back, someone had suggested that I look up Aditya Prakash and his Colliding Worlds Project. I did. Thank you You Tube.

And I was sold. I was keen to see this ensemble in action. And thanks to a few friends in the right places, I ensured that I would be there for the performance.

The outdoor performance space at The Park, Hyderabad is like an artificial bay. Nestled as it is between two wings of the hotel, it creates an intimate space without losing out on the open air feel.

As I walked into that revered space my surprises for the evening began. The stage was a psychedelic arrangement and I could see instruments that were surely alien to Indian Classical Music.

The key board was not a harmonium. The percussion was not just a tabla or even a mrudangam. I couldn’t see strings. But yes, I could see a lot of electronics in the middle of the smoke blasted stage.

And then the musicians themselves.

No, they were not dhoti clad, kurta sporting, pot bellied vaadyars. They were smartly dressed, all in black gentlemen who simply walked onto the stage and took over the evening.

Aditya himself was a tall, clean shaven, bespectacled man, who to me, looked like Clark Kent.

That’s it. My mind zeroed in on the memory association. Clark Kent became Superman. And I realised that AP was a truly well built specimen. And he did look like the comic book hero of my childhood.

While I have heard, live or as part of high quality concert recordings, many of the Hindustani and Carnatic Classical veterans and admired their vocals, not since Shankar Mahadevan have I seen the kind of breath control that I saw last night. The Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas and Uuuuuuuuuuuuuus were literally breathtaking.

And as AP began a very physical demonstration of his musicality, I began to see him dressed in blue…with a great big ‘S’ emblazened across his chest and a red cape fluttering in the winds.

Just as I came to terms with that imagery, my shirt fluttered and I thought that the gust of wind that probably was the cause, sure had a sense of timing.

Then it happened again. And again.

Only on my left side was my shirt fluttering. This was definitely not a natural phenomenon. I looked to my left, and sure enough I spotted the culprit.

A man sitting to my left was busy expelling breaths from his body every time AP started a new number. He would go Huh Huh Huh for a few times and then settle down with a beatific smile on his face. Till the next number.

After two or three cycles I could not resist. Yes damn it, I was flustered. So I asked him just what the hell he was doing.

Something to do with Prana, he answered. My breathing exercises take me onto a higher plane, and so I can listen to this music better.

I stopped breathing for a moment. Gave him a pitiful look…trying to deride him about needing to be on a higher plane to appreciate the music…we were all, the others in the audience, quite fine where we were. And liked the flight that the Colliding Worlds Project was taking us on.

The other pleasant distraction I found was my learned friend Raja. Sitting just one row ahead of me on the opposite side of the aisle, he was a delight to watch.

While his hands kept perfect beat with the music being performed, it was his face that was a delight to watch. Lighting up with joy most of the time, but quite often slipping into a grimace when perhaps something done on stage was not to his liking. He became my barometer for the evening.

And what did the barometer say?

Surprisingly I found that my evaluation was quite similar to his.

I enjoyed the evening. No doubt about that. From the young lady who made the brief opening announcement…very poised, very proper…loved her…especially because she was so short and sweet.

To the whole evening of music. And even to the sudden shower that celebrated the end of the evening by applauding from the skies.

Did I feel short changed on any account. Yes, I felt that AP had not allowed his fellow musicians their moment in the sun. This is something that is an integral part of classical music performances (if I am wrong, forgive me).

But while he did announce the names of the artists quite a few times for the applause, we really did not get to see any of the others on their own. But hey, that’s just a personal observation. No complaints whatsoever.

But the other observation I had, almost spoilt the evening for me. At the end of the show, when I walked up to the bar to return my finished glass of Virgin Mojito and asked for a glass of Pepsi for the road, I was made to wait for a few minutes because of a young man who was ordering the barman to fix him a few double large whiskies.

When the barman finished pouring his regular quantities, the young man barked…More! And kept barking till each glass was about half full of whisky.

Damned Freeloader!

Anyway, walking out, back towards the lobby, my friend Raja made a comment that touched me.

“All in all” he said. “A brilliant performance”. And continued with his trademark grimace…”But what a pity. This is the only way our youngsters will get exposed to classical music”.

And I realised the wisdom in his words. If conventional musicians in their regular garb tried to push 10th century poetry and ageless shlokas down a young audience’s throat, they would get mauled.

But AP with his new improved, fusion packaging had managed to present some timeless classics to an unsuspecting audience who loved every moment of it.

The Men in Black was a lesson. The six pack body was an attraction. And the quaint American accent that peppered AP’s South Indian Hindi was a delight.

As I get ready for the rest of the day, I now wonder what is in store for us this evening and the next two…as the Festival continues.

Have fun. Catch you tomorrow