May 26, 2018
1. Kishore Kumar Kishore was not trained like classical musicians, he came with an identity of his own and the era that he came in, he was beyond traditional training. He brought in a new sound to film music because of the same reason. 2. M. S. Subbalakshmi M. S. Subbalakshmi came from Madurai in Tamil Nadu and the kind of borders she crossed in terms of caste, in terms of gender, to rise to the top across the country and even internationally, despite all the complications in her life is impeccable. It’s an iconic evolution. 3. Ravi Shankar Not because of his fame, but because he was one of the few musicians who really understood what musical dialogue between different cultures is. Most people who worked with different musical sounds worked like it is some jam session, not him! 4. Indian Ocean It’s not easy to bring out a sound that has its own genre that is taken from so many existing traditional sounds and give it its own depth. What Indian Ocean has done with music is really special, in fact I don’t think anyone else has come close to making that kind of music after them. 5. Ilaiyaraaja I don’t think any film composer in the country irrespective of whichever industry you talk about has displayed his kind of a width of a musical understanding and adaptability. I’ve met him many times and it is unbelievable the kind of music the man has done. To be able to adapt and create music the way he does is unfathomable. He is an absolute master.