Grammy vs Grammy

Insync

-Staff

By Staff

Monday, June 23, 2008, 16:33

When a Grammy winner meet a Grammy nominee on the stage what happens? They ''Rattle and Hum'' as Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Lama Tashi kept the diehard music fans of the North East captivated for over an hour last night at Guwahati. If one was touching the sky with his Mohan Veena then Lama Tashi took the Buddist chanting to another world.

The occasion was the North East India Music festival and for the first time in India two Grammy nominees have come together ever in any Indian stage. Organised by the North east Zonal Cultural centre, they were the centre of the attraction of the evening when bands and groups from all the North eastern states forced the audience to go for a swing.

Creator of the Mohan Veena and the winner of the Grammy Award, Vishwa Mohan has mesmerised the world with his pristine pure, delicate yet fiery music. It is due to Vishwa's maiden mega effort that he rechristened guitar as Mohan Veena, his genius creation and has established it at the top most level in the mainstream of Indian Classical Music scenario.

It was no surprise that Vishwa Mohan with his sheer virtuosity and limitless supply of melodies won the highest music award of the world, the Grammy award in 1994 along with Ry Cooder for their World Music Album, 'A meeting by the river'' enhancing his celebrity status not only as a star performer but also as an improviser and a soulful composer.

The other one is a reclusive singer. An accidental discovery the master Tibetan Chant masters have zoomed up all the way to the charts with his earthy but humble chants picking up a Grammy nomination.

Lama Tashi is one of the world's foremost Tibetan chant masters.

Ngawang Tashi Bapu, who has been nominated for a Grammy in the 'Best Traditional Music Category', says he is surprised.

Popularly known as Lama Tashi, the 38-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monk is based at the Centre for Himalayan Culture and Studies at Dahung, India. When he opened up his repertoire, the audience remained spell bound.

Lama Tashi had been the principal chant master of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Drepung Loseling Monastery in south India before returning to Arunachal Pradesh to take up his present assignment in early 2004.

Besides that there were popular local bands like XTC, Nagaland, Arcane Addiction, Arunachal Pradesh, Cultural Vibrants, Nagaland, Boomarang, Mizoram, Jambili, Assam, Snow White, Meghalaya and Sweet Disorder, Manipur.

The whole festival was organised under the Project Rattle & Hum.

The Host Band Rattle & Hum is made up of musicians from various field of art and profession, who share similar values, of using music as responsible art.

The thread that binds is their love of the unknown, especially in the area of music. One of the endeavour of the group is to continually experiment with folk music. . .beyond the existing forms.