Ravi Shanker

There was a free concert at SP college last night that I found via internet while looking for information about the upcoming Zakir Hussain concert here in Pune.  A friend and I decided to go to this concert.  After all who could pass up a free concert by the world's leading sitar player?   We arrived to the venue late (always a good policy for concerts and speeches here in India because these events generally last eons) and without the free passes.    It's strange---in India, free concerts still apparently require you to hold the free pass for entrance.   Of course, where to procure these free passes is not at all obvious.  

We skirted the front entrance and instead ventured to a back entry to check out the situation and to see the event a little closer in order to decide if we wanted to actually enter (that is, if we could find passes).      I asked the gate guards if there was any chance that we could perhaps enter right there and no, unfortunately we didn't have passes.   At first, the girl told us "I'm sorry, but so many people are asking the same thing".    We held our ground and looked on apologetically.    Within five minutes, they were leading us through the gate and showing us the way to the seats.    We ended up sitting in the VIP section close to the soundboard.   Our seats really could not have been better.

The enoromous stage appeared temple-like surrounded with golden arcs and reliefs. bright blue lights,a center poster in Hindi depicting a Universe like image, a huge PA system complete with professional roaming cameras on a stick and two gigantic television screens.    On stage sat 2,700 singers in matching saris for the women and kurtas for the men, in addition to numerous musicians.    The newspaper today said that it was the largest number of performers on stage in India ever and that they estimated 150,000 people showed up to see it.      Ravi Shankar walked down the ailse to a seat (think throne) right in front of the soundboard and not so far away from us.    Everybody immediately ignored what was happening on stage and rushed to see Ravi Shankar with plenty of "guruji's" in hushed voices and cameras snapping.    The police eventually shoed everybody away, but we did get a pretty good glimpse of the fellow sitting in his white robes looking very holy.    I kept thinking to myself "now when does he get on stage to play the sitar?" and "wow, I didn't realize that the Indians considered this guy such a guruiji".    

The singing was fantastic, completed with the audience sing along "Om Namah Shivah".       Then the speeches in Hindi and/or Marauti began.   This was obviously less interesting for us.    I kept hoping for the music again.    Then Ravi approached the stage, took his even more elaborate throne complete with golden saried women at his feet and proceeded to speak---unfortunately, in another language of some kind.   He talked and talked and talked....the only words I understood were jiva (individual soul),  atma (Universal Spirit),  shanti (peace), and om (the sound of the Universe).   I kept thinking "wow. I guess this sitar player has moved into other realms of interest."  Clearly this was a spiritaul speech of some kind, which at one point included a meditation complete with three "oms" by the crowd and one lone red firework over the stage.    Then Ravi continued his speech.  With no end in sight and our hungry bellys growling, we skirted the venue, managed to catch a rickshaw back home, and had some dinner at my friend's hotel.    This is where I learned that there are TWO famous Ravi Shankar's in India.   One is a world famous sitar player and the other was this fellow on stage, the recent author of "The Art of Living".   The event was perhaps more of a book and lecture series promotion than a musical event.    Nonetheless, 2700 people singing on one stage was a beautiful thing to see.