Troubled Tradition Jagit Siogh
ON T]NA SUGANDH THE FUTURE I strongly believe that tradition is a nice thing, but we should There is no particular (new) voice that impresses me. 0nly on change with time. Now, if I start singing with the sarangi, tabla and voice - (that of) K.K. is good but I don't know what he's doing nov harmonium only, the young crowd will never come and listen to me he's only working in films. Then there is Kunal Ganjawala - his voic sing. Tradition is in every art - when it comes to music, there was a on that one song (Channa Vey) was good, but he has a peculiar voicr certain style of that time. We used to wear kurta-pyjama, khadi or it cannot be used for any song, Sukhwinder Singh is also a goo lndian clothes. But with time everything changes. singer, but he is very high-pitched and can be used on item number When it comes to someone like Tina Sugandh, what can I say? Let not on all songs. A voice like Udit Narayan's is well-rounded, with her experiment with things. Ultimately the genuine thing will live on. normal pitch, Sonu Nigam is good. But he needs some body in h But on the RA[/E (December 2004) cover she's wearing shoes and sound, his sound is very thin. ln the semi-classical field, like ghazals, sitting with the instrument in front of her and the placing of her haven't seen any artistes coming up, because it's a lot of hard work. hands is just wrong - that means she doesn't know anything about the tabla. She's kept these two tablas as a publicity stunt, and this is wrong. Music is a part of devotion, lt is not only to entertain people, Its purpose is to reach Cod. But that doesn't mean you have to stick only to tradition. You have to change with time. lt's the sanctity or the purity of the music that we should keep. lf l'm singing Malkauns, I should sing Malkauns correctly. Whether I sing with a guitar, the tanpura, or with a sitar, or even with a synthesizer, it doesn't matter - the instrument is the decoration of that raag. I also have to bring out the modern song in my singing. But the format of the ghazal, which I sing, hasn't changed. Poetry ka jo selection hai (the selection of poetry) - that has not changed. Only the treatment of poetry has changed with time. You don't need orange hair (reference to Talvin Singh) when you perform. lt only means something is missing in you - that's why you want to attract people, You can be a normal person; you're selling your music, not your orange hair. You see the women selling their bodies now in films and especially in music videos - because they have no other talent. We don't need sexy videos, There are all kinds of marketing gimmicks these days, Jinka maal nahin bikta hain, (Those people who can't sell their stuff) they do it with these kinds of things. Rang birange baal kar denge, kapde utaar denge, kaan mein bali pehen lenge (They will color their hair, remove their clothes, and wear earrings) - they do these gimmicks. You have seen examples of so many artistes. They are selling music. And their quota of music is finished with one or two albums. They cannot create anything new. Then they go after new dresses and face-lifts.., it never works in music,
Tina Sugandh has kept these [uro tablas as a publicitu s[un[, and this is urong, [Tlusic is a part oF devotion. lt is not onlU to entertain people, lts purpose is to reach Cod,
As told ro Joideep Se
R,\VEI 6