WITNESSING A GENIUS MOMENT
If you were fortunate to witness Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's Raag Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2014-all of 9.5 minutes then you will probably understand what this post is about. For those who have not yet seen this - you may want to do this on youtube. I have realized individuals are not geniuses but have genius moments. Einstein may have done a few giant breakthroughs but there were many that were not. The flourish of an artist in one artwork that beomes famous for hundreds of years punctuated by artworks that may not reach that zenith. There are very few genius moments and so to be able to witness one in our short lifespan may or may not occur. Imagine how wonderful it must be to witness Michaelangelo as he finished David. Many of us had an epiphany when Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan unleashed his short tour de force on us on the evening of the Nobel Peace awards. From the first aalaap to the thumping climax one was helplessly transfixed. When we hear a pleasing sound our brain releases feel good chemicals. Lets call it an auditory pleasure bomb. So a song may have a chorus which explodes that bomb and we want to hear it again and again till we reach satiation. His concert was a constant carpet bombing of auditory pleasure bombs. It started with powerful aalaap and then continued to pick up manic energy - fluctuating from soulful sufi wails to a pulsating rock concert. A master of his craft - he moulded raags and surs at breack neck speed without missing a note. Tumhe Dillagi was moving and an urgent plea to the lover to save himself or herself as the path of love is full of pitfalls. What command he had of his art as he launched into Sa Re Ga Ma midway. When he first uttered Ma it touched a peak of some kind difficult to describe in words. Tempo was his slave - moving up and down at his will within seconds. Mast Kalander made me want to do headbanging type of dancing. He had chosen his accompanying singers and instruments well creating a mesmerizing sound embellishing like jewels his golden voice. Any saxophone lover would have shouted with pleasure at the brief solo in Mast Kalander. At the end he switched tempo one more notch in an orgasmic climax. He left the stage within seconds of close of the last note not waiting to soak in the applause - like he already knew what was created that night - an emperor of this world for those few moments. It is an extraordinary opportunity and out of the world experience to witness genius in action. The frailties of human nature force us to wade through muck everyday regularly disappointed by betrayals, jealousies, selfishness and two facedness. Moments like these elevate us above this muck like a magic trick floating in bliss - hypnotized by the sheer brilliance - dancing in ecstasy. Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan deserved a Nobel for that performance.
If you were fortunate to witness Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's Raag Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2014-all of 9.5 minutes then you will probably understand what this post is about. For those who have not yet seen this - you may want to do this on youtube. I have realized individuals are not geniuses but have genius moments. Einstein may have done a few giant breakthroughs but there were many that were not. The flourish of an artist in one artwork that beomes famous for hundreds of years punctuated by artworks that may not reach that zenith. There are very few genius moments and so to be able to witness one in our short lifespan may or may not occur. Imagine how wonderful it must be to witness Michaelangelo as he finished David. Many of us had an epiphany when Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan unleashed his short tour de force on us on the evening of the Nobel Peace awards. From the first aalaap to the thumping climax one was helplessly transfixed. When we hear a pleasing sound our brain releases feel good chemicals. Lets call it an auditory pleasure bomb. So a song may have a chorus which explodes that bomb and we want to hear it again and again till we reach satiation. His concert was a constant carpet bombing of auditory pleasure bombs. It started with powerful aalaap and then continued to pick up manic energy - fluctuating from soulful sufi wails to a pulsating rock concert. A master of his craft - he moulded raags and surs at breack neck speed without missing a note. Tumhe Dillagi was moving and an urgent plea to the lover to save himself or herself as the path of love is full of pitfalls. What command he had of his art as he launched into Sa Re Ga Ma midway. When he first uttered Ma it touched a peak of some kind difficult to describe in words. Tempo was his slave - moving up and down at his will within seconds. Mast Kalander made me want to do headbanging type of dancing. He had chosen his accompanying singers and instruments well creating a mesmerizing sound embellishing like jewels his golden voice. Any saxophone lover would have shouted with pleasure at the brief solo in Mast Kalander. At the end he switched tempo one more notch in an orgasmic climax. He left the stage within seconds of close of the last note not waiting to soak in the applause - like he already knew what was created that night - an emperor of this world for those few moments. It is an extraordinary opportunity and out of the world experience to witness genius in action. The frailties of human nature force us to wade through muck everyday regularly disappointed by betrayals, jealousies, selfishness and two facedness. Moments like these elevate us above this muck like a magic trick floating in bliss - hypnotized by the sheer brilliance - dancing in ecstasy. Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan deserved a Nobel for that performance.
