When I was a child, in my 4th standard perhaps, I heard Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia for the first time. I watched him play on TV, my father introducing him as the maestro with flute which had a deep connection to Odisha, our native state. Over the next many years, as I got inducted into music, I heard him more and more and could do nothing but marvel at the magic of this virtuoso. Today, then, it was an absolute pleasure to hear him talk about some important instances of his life and people who shaped them. His biography is out – Breath of Gold – and I plan to read it sometime soon.
And Jerry Pinto! Oh Jerry Pinto! Such a riot! Wearing your heart on your sleeve is something you can learn from him! With the utterly lovely Janice Pariat, he spoke about his new book – The Education of Yuri – and his infectious zest for life. The same spirit rolled over to the Poetry Hour when he joined Ananda Devi, Ira Tak, K Satchidanandan and Anukrti Upadhyay. ‘Women’ by K Satchidanandan was, especially, powerful.
A day with music then. A day with happiness, in other words.
SEEMITA DAS 