Aman Ali in Kolkata

Listening to Aman Ali in an open air concert was a celestial experience. I had heard his father play ages back and it was wonderful to see that the legacy continues. I do not have a trained ear and will not be able to understand even if the notes go wrong at any point of time. But the music filled me completely and brought tears to my eyes occasionally. It is difficult to explain but such kind of musical skill is gained through great sadhana and such music in its purest form often tries to connect with the divine. Aman Ali’s music gave me that feeling many times as the young musician played with his eyes shut at moments and exchanging nods and smiles with the tabla maestro at other moments.Aman Ali explained that the sarod unlike the sitar is played with nails and not with fingers . He demonstrated the difference by playing alternatively with the fingers and the nails.


My feeling is that it is people like me who form the majority of the crowd at such performances .I am not sure whether the audience reacts in such a fashion everywhere but I am always surprised by the way young and old sit through a classical music concert in Kolkata . Several members of the Kolkata police were on duty at the venue . When Aman Ali started playing I discovered quite a few of them listening with apt attention along with other members of the support staff who were on duty on the grounds. While the beautiful music filled the chilly winter night the audience expressed their appreciation by clapping every now and then .It was a full house and the music and the loud cheering reached a crescendo whenever the crowd became ecstatic. If the weather is nice and cool, open air concerts can be extremely enjoyable . It is much better than sitting cooped up in airconditioned halls when the slightest cough or whisper can create huge disturbances . Specially if you are listening to Indian classical music nothing can match a stage set in natural ambience.

(Ref: Image from  http://sunnymusical.tradeindia.com/Exporters_Suppliers/Exporter8752.113441/Sarod.html )