all over the world . We need to understand that this has been a very intimate art form , initially not meant for masses . It was only post the aristocratic era that it opened its doors to the masses . Like one can ’ t compare cricket and chess , you cannot compare Bollywood to Classical Music . It ’ s like comparing sushi and chicken tikka ! Today there are maximum numbers of youngsters learning music and also performing at all levels including posting themselves on YouTube !
AYAAN ALI BANGASH
What was the first ever tune you learned ?
When we were growing up , our father would always be very happy to see us listen to music , not just practice it . Not just his own music , but the music of an entire range of artistes from the era of our grandfather to the contemporaries of our father . We were never asked to listen to a particular artiste , or not to listen to another ; to listen only to classical music and not to listen to the music of the West or Bollywood . The choice and the freedom was entirely ours . But it is only natural to be influenced by the music that your guru speaks of or refers to when he plays . We thus became engrossed in the world of Indian classical music that our father had grown up with , along with our own contemporary choices . To be a musician is in itself a blessing as you are really not answerable to anyone but yourself . For those few hours when you are onstage , you are in a creative frenzy , sometimes supernaturally unreal . There are times when you get off stage only to realize that something special happened up there on stage that day . It is a blessing to be in a profession of what you love doing . It is also a non debatable factor that music is indeed the best way to connect to that supreme power that we have never seen . Be it any religion , music has always been the pathway to spirituality .
Peace ' on this momentous occasion as a tribute to Kailash Saryarthi and Malala Yosufzai . Both Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai got this great honor for their work against suppression of children and their right to education . We performed on two occasions . The first was at the Nobel Peace Prize presentation ceremony . It was indeed a moment of pride as an India to see Kailashji receive this great honour . It was after thirty six years that an Indian received the Nobel Peace Prize . The second was at the spectacular Oslo Spektrum . It was perhaps the largest gathering I have performed in , outside India . This venue seated over 6,000 people including Prince Hakon of Norway and members of the Norwegian royal family in the audience of course along with both the Laureates . It was so wonderful to perform alongside Queen Latifa , Steven Tyler of the band Aerosmith and Nuno Bettencourt the great Guitarist from the band Extreme . The atmosphere back stage was magical . All artists were interacting with one another with the highest regard for each other ' s musical genre .
If you had a chance to collaborate with a particular artist , who would it be and why ?
So many !!! It ’ s a long list and a journey full of surprises . We have been very fortunate to have received so much love and adulation from music lovers all over the world . It ’ s such a long journey ! Sky is the limit . The main mantra is that we have never taken any concert for granted . You are as old as your last concert and every concert is the first concert of your life . We have done many collaborations in the past with Allman Brothers band guitarist Derek Trucks , American Folk song writer Carrie Newcomer , Grammy nominated Oud player Rahim Alhaj and also with the performed with London Philharmonia , Avignon Symphony Orchestra , Welsh National Oera , Britten Sinfonia and National Youth Orchestra of United Kingdom . Every field has its low and high phases .
How to strike a balance between sticking to the roots of your art form and also taking it to places across the globe ?
Music is our life . From the time we were born , the language spoken was music ; the air that we were breathing was music . We took shape of the vessel like water . Though our father has been a very strict traditionalist , he has always believed in adapting to change . In all honesty , Indian classical music has no rules about how it should be presented or executed . That ’ s very individualistic . Over the years we have tried our best to make the Sarod reach out to a new audience , to listeners that perhaps would not be at a classical concert !
Tell us about your best tour till date and why ?
There have been so many but the Nobel Peace Prize concert was special . We performed at the Nobel Prize ceremony and the Nobel Peace Prize concert . We presented ' Raga for
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