Mandolin Srinivas Vs Ustad Sultan Khan - A Musical Extravaganza!

On Nov 20th, 2005, the music lovers of Chennai got an opportunity to enjoy the musical extravaganza provided at the Music Academy, as a part of the Friday Review Festival, performed by Mandolin. U. Srinivas and Ustad Sultan Khan. What a performance it was!! Carnatic Vs Hindustani, musical creativity at its best on a western instrument such as the Mandolin by Srinivas Vs the emotional depth created by the Sultan of Sarangi.

One of the greatest Sarangi players India has ever produced, the Ustad counts among his fans names like Prince Charles( he performed on the occasion of 50th Birthday celebrations of Prince Charles), George Michael, Goldie Hawn and has recorded or performed with artists like Yehudi Menuhin, George Harrison, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Zakir Hussain, Madonna, and Duran. The simple outlook of this man makes you wonder if he is the same man who along with George Harrison and Ravi Shankar was one of the three star attractions of the celebrated 1974 Dark Horse World Tour, and that he has composed and recorded music for films like Gandhi and In Custody. .

As far as Uppalapu Srinivas who got introduced to music when he received a Mandolin as his birthday gift at the age of 3 (or 5?, my memory fails me her), he went on to hold a concert at the age of 10. In his mid-thirties now, he has performed with people like John McLaughlin, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Allah Rakha Saheb, Sultan Khan Saheb, Pandit Jasraj,Michael Nyman and Michael Brook...to list a few, phew!! And, not to forget the International Jazz festival where he got invited to play along with the likes of Miles Davis, at a tender age of 13, which introduced him to the international music fraternity.

Amidst the truly mind-boggling performance by these two enigmatic musicians, something which really touched my heart was their unbelievable simplicity and the humility that was more than evident during the concert. The honesty, dedication and absolutely unassuming nature of their approach towards music by these immensely successful artists moved me to tears. The Shraddha (discipline) with which they came on stage( as if it was their first stage performance!), and their graceful way of accepting the admiration/appreciation showered on them by the audience was something to ponder about. Those gestures of his hand by the Ustad, to show his appreciation towards the performance by Mandolin King, who is a little over half the age of Ustad left me amazed by the humble nature of this man. The same applies to Mandolin Srinivas, who after every performance by the accompanying musicians on the Mridangam and Tabla, made sure to show his appreciation towards them. The genuineness of their appreciation was something I truly envied about these musicians at the receiving end. Somebody once said, "Modesty should be typical of the success of a champion." These instrumentalists, despite being the epitome of the musical instruments they are renowned for, have managed to remain modest, leaving a lot to be learned by most of us.

The concert, being a Jugalbandi required tremendous co-ordination among the musicians, and the ease with which the two teams (Carnatic - Mandolin accompanied by Mridangam Vs Hindustani - Sarangi accompanied by Tabla) handled this, created a truly mystical experience which was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience. These two renowned musicians are so successful in the world of music, nationally and internationally, that their striking simplicity made me feel so humble. It was truly a heart-warming scene when the Ustad, totally enthralled by Mandolin's performance, jokingly put down his Sarangi and asked Srinivas to continue playing, in response to which Mandolin Srinivas showed his obeisance with an evident shyness in his eyes, something that you can't miss while looking at him.

In addition to the unforgettable musical delight that I experienced,there is something much more of a cherisable reason because of which this concert will always remain close to my heart, the one of having had the opportunity to know the kind of fine human beings these performers are - they re-inforced the belief in me to remain humble.

"Make no display of your talents or attainments; for every one will clearly see, admire, and acknowledge them, so long as you cover them with the beautiful veil of modesty"