Someone wrote in a travel note recently that “as you climb the curving stone steps towards the reception of the Asiatic Society library you feel you are ascending into loftier, ethereal regions”. We have not been to the inside of the library. But ascending to another world – yes, sometimes it is possible. Especially when the steps turn into an amphitheatre to watch the captivating performance by some of the best talents from the world of music.
This time it was Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio. We wonder if the Asiatic steps ever acted host to so many people. When the steps could not take any more butts, the latecomers spilled over to the road. Soon, the road became houseful! (Is there a term ‘roadful’?) The evening’s music events started off with Raghav Sachar’s World Music Fusion. Raghav Sachar is a prodigy. By the age of 27, he mastered about 30 musical instruments!!
The momentum was building up. The bollywood numbers by Shilpa Rao added to the enthusiasm. When Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy made their appearance on the stage, the excitement was palpable. Soon Shankar’s stage presence infected the audience, who cheerfully clapped, swayed, and sang with him. Shankar certainly has this uncanny ability to carry the audience with him.
As Shankar weaved magic, he threw in a surprise as well. In the form of Farhan Akthar. And FA simply decided to Rock On! ‘Standing ovation’ is a mild term to say about what followed next.
Truly Shankar Mahadevan created his magic… at one level it seemed surreal but with Farhan Akhtar’s advent the crowd was pulled back to the real performance on stage.
The evening was a memorable one not only for the music but also for the pain of standing for almost three hours post seven when the area around Asiatic was ‘roadful’.