“I can already see my full schedule. It’s a great feeling after a year and a half ‘
Things have started to open up since the beginning of November and I already see my calendar full. We are still wary. But the enthusiasm of the public is just as inspiring. I did a few concerts in Mumbai, one in Pune, one in Bhopal. Now I have a few in Punjab and then again in Pune. I was also in London for a concert recently.
This is also possible because the public is eager to experience classic live shows. While there is a lot of anticipation and fear, we still look forward to it. But we must be attentive to the Covid protocols. We don’t meet the audience behind the scenes anymore these days.
–
Kaushiki Chakraborty, singer
“December and January are looking good for classical live concerts”
Work has definitely resumed after a period of calm. The months of December and January are suitable for live classical concerts. I have traveled to many parts of the country for shows. Rashid Khan and I recently performed in Varanasi. Now I am in Patna. In the meantime, I also went to Ahmedabad. Clubs won’t have the budget for classic nights, so we don’t see a lot of such shows like we do for group concerts. But we have dedicated listeners who are always eager to hear from us. Companies also do classic evenings with us. The para jalsa trend that saw classic performances is no longer there. So unless we have a good training.
–
Tanmoy Bose, percussionist
“Classic live shows are back, but online shows are here to stay awhile.”
Cities are starting to open up again and classic shows are back. Recently I went to Delhi, Mumbai for shows and will be visiting Bangalore and Patna soon. Kolkata is also starting. Although we have resumed traveling for physical shows, there is no doubt that the online programs are here to stay at least a while. Kolkata is warming up for classic performances while trying to allay the fear of the third wave. From what I’m seeing, people are definitely up for more live shows from late December through January. But I’m a little sad that I won’t be able to do my live music concert before mid-December. Also, last year we did a huge shoot for online shows and will be celebrating again next year.
–
Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, sarod player
“My concerts were full of houses in America, I was hungry for this love and appreciation”
I performed in the United States again after the classical dance performances resumed. It was a great experience and I am delighted to see how such shows bring people back to auditoriums. For every show in the United States, I had to take a Covid test and come up negative. Ditto for the public. And my two concerts were house. The audience was seen cheering, clapping, giving standing ovations and asking for more. As a performing artist, I was hungry (during confinement) for this love and appreciation.
–
Sanchita Bhattacharya, dancer Odissi
“We’re thirsty for live concerts, but we’re also getting used to online shows”
Currently the shows are mostly online but after Diwali the offline concerts gradually start to take place. For an artist, the stage, the lights and the audience together are an uplifting experience. It turns out that it helps to produce appropriate musical expressions. On the other hand, online concerts have no limits to captivate audiences across the world. It’s an intermediate situation when we crave live gigs but gradually get used to online gigs. For a musician, art is both our passion and our profession so it will be good if the organizers approach us with decent remuneration. We must be hopeful and gradually we can change our mindset to accept the truth of the current situation.
–
Sahana Banerjee, sitarist
