Coldplay is an exception. Our taste in western music is orthodox, throwback, out-of-date. When Nirvana, Blur were big, we were still playing Pink Floyd, Queen.
Sohan Lal Ahuja's baraati bands would play famous songs such as Mera Joota Hai Japani and Sir Par Topi Lal along with filmy marriage songs like Raja ki Aayegi Baraat.
Napoleon famously told his generals they should never interfere while an opponent was making a mistake. It was good advice then; it still holds true today.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says bill will be 'well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent'.
Indian Army has inducted loitering munitions, kamikaze and surveillance drones for over Rs 5,000 crore post Operation Sindoor from various domestic firms.
Many of you might think I got something so wrong in National Interest pieces written this year. I might disagree! But some deserve a Mea Culpa. I’d deal with the most recent this week.
I agree with your thinking about the “musically poor” towards Western music.
I shared this article with others who are into music, and generally, they agreed, too.
I liked your fluidity and honesty. MSM wouldn’t publish this, but you had your say and it stands.
Absolute drivel written by a presumptious Stephens Oxford grad that doesn’t deserve a proper rebuttal because of how extraordinarily wrong it is. The degrees are all well and good but someone needs to teach humility in those universities, because everytime I read some hogwash like this, my mind jumps to them.
Sekhar, are you serious you allowed this article? No paper worth its salt would approve this. I hope this is not your definition of good journalism that costs money.. I was just beginning to like your paper.
is anyone grilling the western world for having no idea about Asia’s first Nobel Prize – Rabindranath Thakur? Or are we still just stuck on hating ourselves for not being “cool” Enough.
Are we calling their literature impoverished for never even considering urdu poetry? Are we ridiculing the West for not having Gharanas and Ragas in music? It’s one thing to point out that India is not a great market for International artists (I’ll still argue because if Poets of the Fall can keep coming back and play in Banglore, Meghalaya, etc and still make profits…) But to question India’s ancient legacy in music is absolutely bizarre. Not knowing WESTERN pop-culture doesn’t make you impoverished in any way.
And if international bands is the way to go- why are you stuck on British and American bands? What about Emel Mathlouthi who sang at the novel peace Prize ceremony? Or Indila, the French Musician who loves India? What about Vieux Farka Touré, who has performed in India? Why not make a case for diversifying our International tastes instead of calling India’s music “impoverished”?
Spotted: A slave to colonial brainwashing with limited perspective to understand the nuances of art appreciation and embracing narrow mindedness. It is so pathetic because in the west there is a upward trend of embracing your cultural identity to empower yourself, encourage ethnic talent, and support local musicians… and this colonial stooge believes that only western music is “having taste” and tries to shame 1.5 billion people for embracing their personal taste and encouraging throwing money into corporate driven overpriced stinking rich international artists.
What are your priorities, really? It almost feels like a clickbait article to drive traffic to the page. Insane and sad as shit if this is really what the author thinks.
This article’s author is a pathetic relic of colonialism, groveling for Western validation. His laughable ignorance and narrow-mindedness are staggering. He pretends to be intellectually superior while demonstrating utter cluelessness about India’s magnificent musical legacy. The audacity of calling himself ‘musically poor’ is matched only by his staggering arrogance.
I have the cultural sophistication to appreciate both Indian and international music. Yet, I find that foreign songs pale in comparison to the emotional resonance of Indian melodies. It’s clear that our cultural heritage is far more meaningful than his shallow, imported tastes.
I have never liked the notion that if something is globally popular, it has to be popular in India as well, or else we aren’t good enough. Indeed, Indians are now exposed to new music. But, the last time I checked, even Americans had trouble being exposed to new music if it is not on the radio. K-Pop operates like a cutthroat corporate style sports league. So I’m not going to count it. However, there are times when a dearth of listeners makes it difficult for good music to gain traction in the US. Would that render the American public musically impoverish?
Come on man how can you judge consumer’s personality on their taste. Beatles, queen has produced timeless melodies and Indians always have been fan of classical music something that predates thier era.
I swear us Indians are obsessed with hating ourselves. Why is listening to Western music a barometer on musical taste. We have our own industry, we listen to that more
The author’s tirade overlooked the lack of top-notch infrastructure needed for live performance and simpler paperwork to ensure a seamless event setup.
I am pretty cool with folks listening to whatever makes them feel happy. I don’t assess the taste of others. Hence, I don’t feel frustrated or jealous.
What a poor self hating article. This article took me back to the 90s when Indians used to think they were cool for listening to English music. That’s not the case anymore. Your opinion is outdated not our music tastes
Indian populace is conditioned to melody based ancient Indian traditions.
Harmonics based western music has limited audience.
Indians are musically DIFFERENT, not inferior.
Seems like a rant from a fan who couldn’t get a ticket for himself!!
The frenzy around Coldplay this year is universal mainly because this being their last album and you can see how their tickets got sold out within hours not only in India but around multiple locations in the world.
I think we need to chat on this front, I beg to differ on a lot of what you have stated in your article, first of all India has been on top of all artists performing world wide, and btw Elton John did perform in India in Bangalore , I streamed the concert live on Radio, Mirchi. When FM was there on AIR i streamed Roger Waters live, n then when the first FM stations started Radio City Bangalore, Radio Mirchi Mumbai, WIN Fm Mjmbai etc.vwe all used to play everything, from pop, rock to alternative, grunge etc be it Blur, Portis Head, Soul Asylum, Nirvana, INXS , Floyd, Madonna , U2 etc. it was all there. Infact Scorpions, Deep Purple, Def Lepard, Metallica ,Iron Maiden, Joe Satriani, Mark Knofler, Sting, Bryan Adams , Enrique, Shakira, Shaggy, Alanis Morisette, Bozone, Atomic Kitten, Big Moyntain, Mr.big, Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, U2, Slash, Axel Rose as GNR all have played and performed in India the list goes on, and the proof is in the pudding since i got to interview them all. Considering rock concerts and independent artists right from Pentagram, Rock machine, Zero, Thermal N A Quarter, Raghu Dixit, etc. We have been thronging concerts from the 80s and have bin listening to the complete gamut of music , when Roger Waters performed in Bangalore that was an Epic concert everyone from all over India was there, that was a true fan affair, and DNA events and Wizcraft back in the day brought down some of the biggest names. When Sting n Bryan Adams performed for the first time it was another set of epic tours. I just feel you could have done a little more homework and justice to this article. Thanks , Musically Yours
The author is at the bottom of its musical intelligence. He definitely has no idea of musical taste and persistence of it. India is extremely rich in musical tradition, so much so that it has no space for any music from outside India. Indian classical and popular music has fulfilled India’s musical appetite. We can easily afford to choose and pick up whatever we like from western music and reject rest of it. This is a sign of musical richness and not impoverishment.
What a joke this article is!
Our own artists are not able to earn their livelihoods. One can ask any Hindustani or Carnatic classical musician how the market is. And how hard it is for them to lead a financially secure life.
And this guy’s concern is why Indians are not splurging on famous Western bands. Well sir, even if we were not “musically poor”, we would prefer to splurge on Indian musicians.
Everyone has their own taste …and however modern we become, we are still rooted to quality grunge free, non-psychedelic type of music…and I find that has more quality, soothing effect…and I don’t think that is less commonsense…
Excellent write, Palesh!
I agree with your thinking about the “musically poor” towards Western music.
I shared this article with others who are into music, and generally, they agreed, too.
I liked your fluidity and honesty. MSM wouldn’t publish this, but you had your say and it stands.
Bravo, well done!!!
Absolute drivel written by a presumptious Stephens Oxford grad that doesn’t deserve a proper rebuttal because of how extraordinarily wrong it is. The degrees are all well and good but someone needs to teach humility in those universities, because everytime I read some hogwash like this, my mind jumps to them.
Sekhar, are you serious you allowed this article? No paper worth its salt would approve this. I hope this is not your definition of good journalism that costs money.. I was just beginning to like your paper.
Recall this article.
is anyone grilling the western world for having no idea about Asia’s first Nobel Prize – Rabindranath Thakur? Or are we still just stuck on hating ourselves for not being “cool” Enough.
Are we calling their literature impoverished for never even considering urdu poetry? Are we ridiculing the West for not having Gharanas and Ragas in music? It’s one thing to point out that India is not a great market for International artists (I’ll still argue because if Poets of the Fall can keep coming back and play in Banglore, Meghalaya, etc and still make profits…) But to question India’s ancient legacy in music is absolutely bizarre. Not knowing WESTERN pop-culture doesn’t make you impoverished in any way.
And if international bands is the way to go- why are you stuck on British and American bands? What about Emel Mathlouthi who sang at the novel peace Prize ceremony? Or Indila, the French Musician who loves India? What about Vieux Farka Touré, who has performed in India? Why not make a case for diversifying our International tastes instead of calling India’s music “impoverished”?
This must be the most stupid and senseless artical ever produced in Print. It seems there is no dearth for Wannabe Anglo saxons in this country
Spotted: A slave to colonial brainwashing with limited perspective to understand the nuances of art appreciation and embracing narrow mindedness. It is so pathetic because in the west there is a upward trend of embracing your cultural identity to empower yourself, encourage ethnic talent, and support local musicians… and this colonial stooge believes that only western music is “having taste” and tries to shame 1.5 billion people for embracing their personal taste and encouraging throwing money into corporate driven overpriced stinking rich international artists.
What are your priorities, really? It almost feels like a clickbait article to drive traffic to the page. Insane and sad as shit if this is really what the author thinks.
The Print , is this the quality of your journalist who are talking shit about a matter which they have zero knowledge about! ???
i think this guy is fit to live in a zoo
This article’s author is a pathetic relic of colonialism, groveling for Western validation. His laughable ignorance and narrow-mindedness are staggering. He pretends to be intellectually superior while demonstrating utter cluelessness about India’s magnificent musical legacy. The audacity of calling himself ‘musically poor’ is matched only by his staggering arrogance.
I have the cultural sophistication to appreciate both Indian and international music. Yet, I find that foreign songs pale in comparison to the emotional resonance of Indian melodies. It’s clear that our cultural heritage is far more meaningful than his shallow, imported tastes.
Who is this moron? What a poor take on music in general. He sounds like he has zero idea on Indian music, specially Indian classical.
I have never liked the notion that if something is globally popular, it has to be popular in India as well, or else we aren’t good enough. Indeed, Indians are now exposed to new music. But, the last time I checked, even Americans had trouble being exposed to new music if it is not on the radio. K-Pop operates like a cutthroat corporate style sports league. So I’m not going to count it. However, there are times when a dearth of listeners makes it difficult for good music to gain traction in the US. Would that render the American public musically impoverish?
Come on man how can you judge consumer’s personality on their taste. Beatles, queen has produced timeless melodies and Indians always have been fan of classical music something that predates thier era.
I swear us Indians are obsessed with hating ourselves. Why is listening to Western music a barometer on musical taste. We have our own industry, we listen to that more
The author’s tirade overlooked the lack of top-notch infrastructure needed for live performance and simpler paperwork to ensure a seamless event setup.
I am pretty cool with folks listening to whatever makes them feel happy. I don’t assess the taste of others. Hence, I don’t feel frustrated or jealous.
What a poor self hating article. This article took me back to the 90s when Indians used to think they were cool for listening to English music. That’s not the case anymore. Your opinion is outdated not our music tastes
Indian populace is conditioned to melody based ancient Indian traditions.
Harmonics based western music has limited audience.
Indians are musically DIFFERENT, not inferior.
Seems like a rant from a fan who couldn’t get a ticket for himself!!
The frenzy around Coldplay this year is universal mainly because this being their last album and you can see how their tickets got sold out within hours not only in India but around multiple locations in the world.
The whole thing is not about music. It’s about black marketing through media hype.
I think we need to chat on this front, I beg to differ on a lot of what you have stated in your article, first of all India has been on top of all artists performing world wide, and btw Elton John did perform in India in Bangalore , I streamed the concert live on Radio, Mirchi. When FM was there on AIR i streamed Roger Waters live, n then when the first FM stations started Radio City Bangalore, Radio Mirchi Mumbai, WIN Fm Mjmbai etc.vwe all used to play everything, from pop, rock to alternative, grunge etc be it Blur, Portis Head, Soul Asylum, Nirvana, INXS , Floyd, Madonna , U2 etc. it was all there. Infact Scorpions, Deep Purple, Def Lepard, Metallica ,Iron Maiden, Joe Satriani, Mark Knofler, Sting, Bryan Adams , Enrique, Shakira, Shaggy, Alanis Morisette, Bozone, Atomic Kitten, Big Moyntain, Mr.big, Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, U2, Slash, Axel Rose as GNR all have played and performed in India the list goes on, and the proof is in the pudding since i got to interview them all. Considering rock concerts and independent artists right from Pentagram, Rock machine, Zero, Thermal N A Quarter, Raghu Dixit, etc. We have been thronging concerts from the 80s and have bin listening to the complete gamut of music , when Roger Waters performed in Bangalore that was an Epic concert everyone from all over India was there, that was a true fan affair, and DNA events and Wizcraft back in the day brought down some of the biggest names. When Sting n Bryan Adams performed for the first time it was another set of epic tours. I just feel you could have done a little more homework and justice to this article. Thanks , Musically Yours
The author is at the bottom of its musical intelligence. He definitely has no idea of musical taste and persistence of it. India is extremely rich in musical tradition, so much so that it has no space for any music from outside India. Indian classical and popular music has fulfilled India’s musical appetite. We can easily afford to choose and pick up whatever we like from western music and reject rest of it. This is a sign of musical richness and not impoverishment.
What a joke this article is!
Our own artists are not able to earn their livelihoods. One can ask any Hindustani or Carnatic classical musician how the market is. And how hard it is for them to lead a financially secure life.
And this guy’s concern is why Indians are not splurging on famous Western bands. Well sir, even if we were not “musically poor”, we would prefer to splurge on Indian musicians.
Dude have life, let people enjoy & don’t fcking judge others.
Improve your own music taste self proclaimed intellectual lol.
Everyone has their own taste …and however modern we become, we are still rooted to quality grunge free, non-psychedelic type of music…and I find that has more quality, soothing effect…and I don’t think that is less commonsense…