Usually, I am not a fervent TV watcher, as I get easily fed up, switching over the channels, intending to watch with “what else is there in the channel” rather than “what is there in the channel”. However, yesterday as I was flipping over the channels as usual, I happen to tune in to the premier show of MTV coke studio, which was indeed, to my utter surprise, different from other musical shows as the show focuses only on music—and not on competition, as many music programs currently on TV do.
I did remain glued to the TV as I found myself captivated by the brand new musical show staged by musical legends of India like Richa Sharma, Kailash Kher and Shankar Mahadevan, engulfed in the crisscross of fluorescent illumination, MTV coke studio, The Indian version which is called “Coke Studio @MTV” is a unique musical programme that starts at 7Pm every Friday. The show which has already persuaded many music lovers in Pakistan, has now started to cast its spell in India too. Bringing together 45 dexterous musicians from different parts of the country, in various genres such as folk, classical and qawwali, sufi and others.
“We have such a rich musical heritage. It’s surprising that we don’t have a platform to bring this heritage out and show it to the common man. Film music has taken over completely,” Aditya Swamy, who heads MTV India, told IANS. “The show aims to bring to gather various cultures of the country on one stage, and mix three very potent elements. On one hand, it will have well-known classically-trained singers. On the other hand, we will have folk legends of the country, whether it’s a Bihu singer or a qawwal. The third one will bring young and new talent. We will be mixing all three ingredients together to get something very explosive out of it,” he added
The show has been produced by MTV India in partnership with Red Chillies Entertainment.Talking about ratings, Swamy explained: “I don’t think Television Rating Points (TRP) are the only scale to measure success. I’m not doing this show to see whether it will do better than ‘Indian Idol’ or a ‘Sa Re GA Ma’. The objective is to celebrate the music of India and build a community of people who want to listen to alternative music.”
“Having said that, I feel if you hunt for TRPs you never get them. You create something world class, and the TRPs will come,” he added. [Source: The Express Tribune].
The show is a “must watch show” for every music lovers as it shows the explicit blend of folk, classical with regional and western instrument.
Mr. Basir told India Real Time that Coke Studio aims to reflect the “aural culture of the country” by capturing musical traditions from across the nation. Each one-hour episode of Coke Studio features six songs that could be a diverse mix of old Bollywood songs, classical compositions and folk music. The show will also aim to mix-and-match established musicians and up-and-coming artists.
The show’s musical director, Leslie Lewis, said Coke Studio will be “another direction for the music in this country.” Mr. Lewis is known in India for his collaboration with singer Hariharan as part of Colonial Cousins, which was hugely popular in the 1990s. Across several albums, the duo mixed Indian classical music with Western pop sounds and English-language lyrics.
“Coke Studio isn’t a reality show. So there are no mentors, no anchors, no judges and no voting,” said Mr. Lewis. “It’s just live music that has been recorded from the beginning to the end. I didn’t allow artists to patch up later or make corrections.”
The line-up of artists for the first season which was held on 17th of June 2011 were some well-known Bollywood names like singer Richa Sharma, as well as folk legends like the Wadali brothers, who are musicians from Punjab who sing in the Sufi mystic tradition, and Advaita, a fusion band from New Delhi. The line-up also featured lesser-known musicians like the percussionist Bondo, from the former Portuguese colony of Goa, and Bihu musician Khagen Gogoi, who performs in a folk tradition from the northeastern state of Assam. The most unique feature of Coke Studio is that renowned artists actually breaks out of their comfort zone and come out to perform on a platform pushing their boundaries, collaborating with artists they haven’t worked with before, and taking their music to people it hasn’t reached before.
Sikkim stands nowhere inferior in the field of both western and eastern regional musical arena. Renowned bands like “Still Waters” and “Girish and the Chronicles” which have been born in the soil of Sikkim, is itself evident that we have reached the pinnacle of success in the musical sphere. There are numerous such talents lying dormant or awaiting opportunities. Thus, Coke Studio @MTV where versatile legends of Indian music exhibit the show in their splendid form can inspire and reenergize our budding musician of Sikkim.
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