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‘Wall of Fame’ for Indian musical legends in Shanghai
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THIS is one wall few people in the world would have issues with.
A pictorial tribute to some of the artistic legends from India is on display in Shanghai as a prelude to the forthcoming festival of classical music, dance and arts from the South Asian country.
The Chaiti Wall, which was inaugurated by the Indian Consul General in Shanghai Prakash Gupta, highlights the vast and diverse musical genres in the country.
Indian classical music is vastly different from the more popular Bollywood tunes and has its own strong, devoted set of followers. It is one of the oldest art forms in the world and has survived the multitude of changes down the ages. Essentially a creation of its indigenous culture, it borrows heavily from India’s ancient texts, legends and folk traditions.
Over the years, Indian musicians have traveled across the globe to popularize their music — and native instruments — to the music world. The Chaiti Wall is a tribute to some of these musicians.
“Through these photographs we have tried to showcase our body of work,” says Siddharth Sinha, whose Chaiti Arts Foundation has introduced some of these artists to China. “The idea was to make known some of these legends of Indian music to China.”
From sitar maestro Ravi Shankar to flutist Hariprasad Chaurasia to percussionist Zakir Hussain to shehnai (a quadruple-reed instrument) player Bismillah Khan — to name just a few — all have a pride of place on the wall.
The pictorial wall at an Indian restaurant on Dagu Road, frequented by locals and expatriates alike, made sense to Sinha because of its steady stream of visitors.
“The restaurant was a natural choice as it gets people from all over the world. It is a very small part of the restaurant’s wall but for us it is a treasure,” says Sinha. “It is a unique way of reaching out to people.”
In its 5th year now, Chaiti will stage a festival of classical music and dance on May 20 at Shanghai Center Theater. This year, the well-known sitarist Niladri Kumar will be accompanied on tabla (percussion) by Vijay Ghate. But part of the highlight of the evening will be a Bharatnatyam dance performance by China’s biggest exponent of the art form, Jin Shanshan.
The performers will then head to Beijing on May 24.
The Chaiti Wall
Masala Desi Restaurant, 401 Dagu Rd
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