Today, NPR's Morning Edition surprised me with a lovely present, though it wasn't my birthday they were celebrating. Ravi Shankar is 85 today, and the story I blasted on my way to work was produced in honour of that.
In the latest report for the NPR/National Geographic co-production Radio Expeditions, NPR's Susan Stamberg travels to New Delhi, the capital of India, to meet with the artist...
...Shankar is totally in his element when he performs -- sitting on his oriental rug, sitar nestled in his lap, the air scented with incense, he appears lost in a trance.
"Ravi Shankar's music is like a fine Indian sari -- silken, swirling, exotic," Stamberg says. "It can break your heart with its beauty."
Oy, Ms. Stamberg...we could've done without the dreaded "E"-bomb, but we forgive you.
SM readers (and Mutineer Manish) might enjoy the legend's take on why he is known as "Pandit"; personally, I was more amused by the piece's description of Shankar's wife as one "...in a crowd of Ravi's lovers". Ahem. No sex please, we're Indian. Wait, too late for that--listeners are treated to Sukanya Shankar ("Ravi's merry, dimpled wife") trilling, "what you do to me!" in answer to a befuddled/barely-risque question that her husband poses.
Oh and yes, there is the obligatory Norah Jones ref; they played a snippet of "Don't know why", since THAT wouldn't be predictable, at ALL. :D
Enjoy the interview (and some "pillow talk") here.
:+:
Before I needlessly get barbecued via comments section for the title of this post, LISTEN to the story I linked and then mutter, "Ohhhhhh!" under your breath, thanks.
I'm no fan of cats, but my iPod serves up the pun-dit often, much to my delight. Anoushka, too. Norah? Eh. Not so much. ;)
