SOUTH ASIA Public Disclosure Authorized NEIGHBOURS ADVANCING REGIONAL INTEGRATION, COOPERATION AND ENGAGEMENT IN SOUTH ASIA Public Disclosure Authorized Harmonizing relations: Platforms for music in South Asia by Nitin Koshi Public Disclosure Authorized #OneSouthAsia CASE STUDY 6, 2021 Radios, speakers, smartphones and its people. But being a musician in the television sets across the South Asian region is not easy, especially for artistes neighbourhood crackle with tunes from outside the film industry. Many of them Bollywood, the Hindi film industry. Coke face similar challenges: limited funding, Studio Pakistan, a television programme, lack of public exposure, and a dearth of strikes a chord with millions of viewers training, infrastructure and facilities. Others through live studio performances that meld experience social or political pressure, Public Disclosure Authorized contemporary Western, Sufi, bhangra and such as a ban on musical instruments in classical music from the region. Across Afghanistan while under Taliban rule in the South Asia, people go about their day-to- late 1990s. day lives with a folk or film song on their lips, distinctive to their native language. Still, over the last few years, there have emerged more musicians making a living South Asian music, despite its diversity in by playing non-film music; more venues in styles and instruments, intrinsically connects South Asian cities showcasing live music; Harmonizing relations: Platforms for music in South Asia 1 SOUTH ASIA #OneSouthAsia and more live-music festivals—providing independence. Five months later, Rao local talent a stage to perform. The and her husband, Sudhakar Rao, a former South Asian Symphony Orchestra (SASO) chief secretary of India’s Karnataka state, and South Asian Bands Festival provide registered the South Asian Symphony platforms that give ear to talented Foundation1 in Bengaluru, Karnataka’s musicians from the region while helping capital city. This laid the groundwork bridge political divisions and build to establish SASO. In August 2018, the understanding within South Asia. foundation organized a five-day music workshop in Ooty, a hill town in India's Tamil Nadu state, where instructors from India and Sri Lanka guided a dozen South Asian Symphony young musicians from Afghanistan, India, Orchestra: A baton for Nepal and Sri Lanka. The vibrant musical cooperation and cultural interplay at the workshop moved the foundation to finally start A symphony orchestra comprising South putting together a South Asian orchestra Asian musicians was conceived of in that would perform eight months later. 2013 by Nirupama Rao, a former foreign secretary of India, in conversation After a week of relentlessly rehearsing with Viswa Subbaraman, an American side-by-side, an ensemble of more orchestra conductor of Indian origin. than 70 musicians with familial roots in Well-versed in diplomacy — having even Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, served as India's ambassador to China Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka debuted as and Sri Lanka — and music as well, Rao SASO on April 26, 2019 in Mumbai, India's envisioned a South Asian orchestra that commercial hub. The performance, could be a unique platform for dialogue, titled Chiragh: A Concert Beyond Borders, cultural synergy and understanding was an eclectic mix of South Asian and among youth in the region. Western classical music. It featured indigenous instruments, such as the Following a few years largely in timpani, matka, tumbaknari, rubab, academia, in February 2018, Rao santoor and tanbur, alongside traditional began fine-tuning her musical vision by orchestral sections. The concert helping bring eight musicians from India commemorated the lives lost in terror and two of the South Asian diaspora attacks that took place five days earlier — including Subbaraman — in concert across Sri Lanka. with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka. Their performance, titled Music Rao is confident that strengthening Beyond Borders, in Colombo, marked music education in South Asia can be the island nation’s 70th anniversary of instrumental to help "promote democratic 2 Harmonizing relations: Platforms for music in South Asia #OneSouthAsia SOUTH ASIA values and reject terrorism and extremism.” instrument is – all the standard SASO teaches its members to listen, things we do as musicians. You not just to sounds but each other as soon begin to realize that it doesn’t well. Understanding, inclusiveness and matter where you come from. cohesion builds between these musicians Simply being a musician gives you as they rehearse together, in pursuit of a a common language and basically shared goal – harmony. On achieving this a common nationality of music” aspiration, the orchestra — like South Asia – Viswa Subbaraman, conductor of — can be greater than the sum of its parts. the orchestra's inaugural concert. Assembling the orchestra took Nivanthi Karunaratne, a U.S.-based horn considerable effort. The foundation player of Sri Lankan heritage, points invited musicians to audition for the out that the orchestra helps bridge orchestra based on recommendations, communication barriers. Recalling SASO's and by scouring ensembles and music debut performance, Karunaratne says, institutions, in South Asia and abroad. “One of the Afghan musicians came Many of these artistes rendered up to me after the concert, chattering performances via recordings for away, and hugged me tightly. Her smile selection as logistical and infrastructure conveyed everything our lack of a mutual constraints limited in-person auditions. language couldn’t.” The foundation had difficulties obtaining visas for some of the selected musicians. SASO’s inaugural concert was not A group of Afghan musicians faced financed by governments, but by Indian flight cancellations, transit delays and donors and corporate sponsors, making soaring ticket prices after the Pakistan it a unique initiative of, by and for the government closed its airspace for flights people. Cross-border investment could to and from India following airstrikes by build the foundation’s finances, while the latter in Pakistan in February 2019. increasing the interest of India’s neighbors in the orchestra. “Putting so many new people together in a room and creating a The foundation seeks to nurture team from all over South Asia has promising young musicians of South Asia been a fascinating experience… by organizing music workshops, master It is also really interesting in the classes and lectures. It intends to take breaks to see them interact with SASO across South Asian cities, and the each other and ask each other rest of the world as well, thereby providing questions about where they are orchestra members valuable experience from, how they play, the type of in public performance. The orchestra technique they use, and what their offers a rare opportunity for musicians Harmonizing relations: Platforms for music in South Asia 3 SOUTH ASIA #OneSouthAsia that often remain marginalized in local The symphony of peace amongst people communities, especially in Afghanistan, is perhaps impossible to ever complete, Bhutan and Nepal. This includes some but SASO plans to continue playing to students of the Afghanistan National this tune, exemplifying what can be Institute of Music2 (ANIM), which aims to achieved via harmonious co-existence improve gender equality in music training between South Asians. in Afghanistan and has nearly 60 percent of its students coming from economically- disadvantaged families. A dozen students of ANIM, which receives some support South Asian Bands from the World Bank, played at SASO's Festival: All aboard the inaugural performance. Since its debut, regional bandwagon the orchestra has performed in Bengaluru to commemorate the 150th anniversary In April 2007, the eight member nations of of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth. the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) launched an Over time, the foundation plans to build initiative5 to promote regional unity a repertoire of indigenous South Asian through cultural interaction. A few music, in the form of a songbook that months later, the first SAARC cultural will comprise 30 folk and popular pieces, festival was launched. It showcased arranged for orchestral performance. South Asia's diverse art, apparel, food, It commissioned two orchestral works, handicrafts, textiles, folklore, theatre Bhadke3 and Hamsafar: A Journey and even music — a three-day outdoor through South Asia4, that were SAARC Bands Festival was organized performed by SASO at its debut, by the Indian Council for Cultural alongside compositions by Beethoven, Relations, an autonomous body under Bizet, Brahms, Mozart, and Puccini, the Indian government, India’s Ministry among others. Bhadke is a rearrangement of External Affairs, and Seher, a cultural by Kamala Sankaram, an Indian- organization. American composer, of Shola jo bhadke, a classic Bollywood song. Meanwhile, “The government had asked us to Hamsafar: A Journey through South make SAARC more popular among Asia is an arrangement of eight popular the general public, especially songs from the region, by Lauren youth. The idea was to bring people Braithwaite, a British conductor teaching closer, so that they could connect at ANIM. The commissioning of more with their South Asian neighbors such orchestral works could help South and take in the spirit of SAARC” Asian composers flourish, while helping –Sanjeev Bhargava, the founder preserve the region’s musical heritage. of Seher. 4 Harmonizing relations: Platforms