Ajoy Chakraborty and the Question of Technique vs Emotion in Indian Classical Music
SumanSpeaks Capital Markets & Geopolitical Intelligence Weekend Reading · Classical Music Ajoy Chakraborty and the Question of Technique vs Emotion in Indian Classical Music A doyen of the Patiala-Kasur gharana, a monsoon raga stretched past its own weather, a 2023 controversy over a Nazrul anthem, and a question every listener on earth has the right to ask: does the song still feel like itself? There is a moment in certain performances -- you may have felt it yourself, in a concert hall, at a wedding, in front of a crackling old speaker playing a song your grandmother once hummed -- when a familiar melody starts, and for half a second, something in you leans forward. You know this song. And then, somewhere in the first few phrases, you realize you don't, anymore. This is not an argument against classical music. It is not an argument against technical ...