For Salil Bhatt,his new album Sopaan,is all about pure classical music consumption If we dont evolve,if we dont move with times,well land up in a museum! And to make things worse,some of us,our instruments are already bordering on extinction, Salil Bhatt,creator of the Satvik Veena and heir to a 500-year-old musical legacy airs concern. Its because of this very reason he,and his father,Grammy award-winner and Padmashree Vishva Mohan Bhatt,gave a new definition,look,feel and sound to the Veena. An instrument which is alive down South,it was reinvented by the Bhatts,and now,as Salil takes a seat at the Pracheen Kala Kendra to talk about his next album,Sopaan,he takes out his Satvik Veena and embarks on a musical journey. More like consumption,and Sopaan (its musical jal-paan) is about that. Only that this one is pure classical instrumental, tells Salil. With a Gobal Indian of the Year award,hand-picked by APJ Abdul Kalam for performances in Germany and Iceland,and many such milestones in his list of achievement,Salil says that while he and his music is worshipped abroad,in India,its still fighting for survival. And acceptance too. There are no doubt pockets in the country like Pune,Bangalore,Assam,Gaya,Jalandhar,Amritsar where you will find connoisseurs and music fanatics,but when it comes to honour,respect and recognition,we are known to hesitate and drop the deserving ones. For instance,take the Padmashree. Why was there a need for Saif Ali Khan to get one? I still cant find any logic to that,especially when we have far better to choose from! says Salil. Hence,to make classical music more popular,to attract children towards it and convince parents that there is money and fame in it,Salil believes television and the internet can play a huge role. No matter how trained or good you are,youll never make it if youre not famous. Thats where television comes in,and its one medium that has the power to play God. No wonder then that Salil is working towards a commercial-classical music show soon. Next is the internet,where Salil feels one should flood it with quality music. One click,and the best should open up. Thats right,just one click. Salil Bhatt will be performing at the Pracheen Kala Kendra,Sector 35 on February 11,6:30 pm along with Ankit Bhatt.
