Multiple gigs at ‘Revival of The Bandstand Culture’

Hanging Gardens, Mumbai, May ‘10

There are some truly hatke band names on the music scene, depending on how and where bands get their inspiration from. But I think Silvan Kama Marak definitely deserves the ‘Most Unique Band Name’ award! This 4-member band’s set at the Hanging Gardens on 8^th May was filled with some good drumming, unusual and wonderfully experimental leads, some very Metallica-like songs, and their take of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Purple Haze’. While they have a great sound, the presence could perhaps be improved upon a bit; the vocalist somewhere lacked the deep connect with the audience that ultimately every band requires, and he seemed like a separate entity from the rest of the band.

Next was Pulp Society, with Imaad Shah; their music is as different as chalk and cheese from that of the previous band. Bolstered by supremely strong and quirky lyrics, Pulp Society is like a breath of fresh air. As Imaad declared, they share their ‘minimal approach to life’ in every note. Portions of their set went prettily conversational, and Imaad’s simple yet genuine voice goes straight to your heart. They played two originals, ‘Hot-headed Woman’ and ‘Semi-Circle with a Groove’, out of which the second especially was a joy indeed! ‘Hee hee hee can’t you see, it’s a beautiful world out there. Ho Ho Ho, I’m not so sure, I just can’t seem to see it anymore.’ For at least a week after that, I couldn’t stop humming this highly memorably baby! But unfortunately, just as Pulp Society and the audience were really warming up to each other, it was time to say a tearful goodbye; the police personally put in a presence and declared that it was time to shut down. So all good things came to an end.

The following weekend, 15^th May, at the Hanging Gardens saw some more unusual band names; ‘Translucent’ and ‘Highway 61’. Translucent played some very popular covers; Kailash Kher’s ‘Allah ke Bande’ and ‘Teri Deewani’, a much-done-to-death-yet-still-public-rouser ‘Summer of ’69’, ‘Hotel California’, Atif Aslam’s ‘Tere Bin’ were part of the setlist. While the band shows promise, they have yet to polish themselves; the lead vocalist takes the Hindi songs decently well but the guitarist needs some more effort at singing the English ones better; Hotel California, in particular, had none of the soul of the original.

Highway 61 was the surprise package of the evening. This Pune based band blew out our minds! They got off to a grand start with their original ‘Mukhtalif’, which I can only classify as Hindi metal, and some really classy Hindi metal at that! Three members of the band were headbanging with glorious abandon. Then ‘Jaago Zara’, a perfectly done ‘Socha Hai’ from Rock On, ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’, ‘Give me some sunshine’ from 3 Idiots all upheld the impression they made with their first song. The brilliant backup vocals particularly deserved applause. To add to this, they very ingeniously modified the 3 Idiots track to suit the alcohol-deprived people of Gujarat: ‘Give me some red wine, give me cocktail, give me another drink, I want to throw up once again’!  The audience went wild, and requested an encore, to be duly rewarded with the first song ‘Mukhtalif’ once again. A rousing band indeed.

And then came The Grand Finale on 29^th May, the final evening for this year at the Hanging Gardens. The venue this time round was even more picturesque; a little sunken amphitheatre in the Shoe Garden, surrounded by trees all lit up like brides. The unusual attraction at this grand event was a performance by the police band themselves (yes, it was their second gig at Hanging Gardens this year)! The protectors of the nation showcased their cultural side with some well known classics, including the older version of ‘Vande Mataram’, ‘Piya tu ab toh aa ja’, ‘Badan pe sitare’, ‘Oh haseena zulfon waali’ and more. It was a proud moment to see the drum with ‘Maharashtra Police Band’ written on it.

Then Tough on Tobacco took stage, in all their usual brilliance with songs like ‘Happy’, ‘Don’t Drink and Drive’, ‘Alone’, ‘Blow Yourself Away’. Every word said about the genius of Sid Coutto is indeed insufficient. He is a mesmerizing performer whom you cannot stop watching; his enjoyment at singing is so evident that one gets lost watching him. The genuine rock fans in the audience went wild at his antics.

ToT then handed over the stage to Ankur Tiwari & the Ghalat Family. Ankur really caught the fancy of the audience with his trademark enchantingly quirky green glasses. The band has some wonderfully different tracks. Listen and judge for yourselves: Song No. 1 was about ‘falling in love with a girl and all your friends telling you she’s a bitch’, Song No. 2 was about ‘waking up next to the one you love’, Song No. 3 was ‘falling in love with a girl who constantly wants gifts’, Song No. 4 was ‘Zaalim Alien’ for Jadoo. When was the last time such delicious negatively-themed songs were dished out?

Then came Pune-based band Lambada, who did some good songs (mostly originals) with classical touches. Their guitarist is one of the few Indians to have been invited to a fellowship at Berkeley College of Music! The band received a standing ovation for their music.

And finally, the highlight of the evening; Something Relevant once again at the Hanging Gardens, jamming with the police band! Something Relevant started with some of their originals, having as much fun as they usually do on stage, and carrying the audience along with them. Every band member was grooving, and the pure energy they bring to the stage is quite incomparable. Unfortunately they did not get to play for too long; but they did jam with the police band to tunes like ‘Sha la la’ by the Vengaboyz, and our very own Oscar export, ‘Jai Ho’ from Slumdog Millionaire.

And with that concluded a wonderful saga of weekend gigs at the Hanging Gardens for this year. As Kavita Sharma of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry revealed, the response of the crowd has been encouraging. People even called up their office specifically to enquire about the finale. They plan to make it an annual event, if permissions, sponsors and other necessities fall into place, which we sincerely hope they do. What is more, they will take on one month at each bandstand venue in Mumbai; the Hanging Gardens, Carter Road and also the Bandstand promenade. Well, a truly laudable effort at bringing a variety of good live music to the people of the city. The revival has started, and is definitely set to go a long way.

Indian Ocean

blueFROG, Mumbai

Indian Ocean played at blueFROG, Mumbai on Wednesday, May 12^th and Sunday, May 16^th

This could, in many ways, be considered a celebration of live music at its best, served up by India’s most exciting band of the last two decades- Indian Ocean. The band made their first appearance at blueFrog, Mumbai on the 12th of May. On account of a marathon response by the music enthusiasts of Mumbai they were called again, within days of their first performance.

Following the loss of Asheem Chakravarty, the band has been performing with Tuhin Chakravarty (Tabla, indian percussions) and Himanshu Joshi (Vocals). Being a decade old Indian Ocean junkie I was quite curious to see if it was possible for the band to give as euphoric a performance as they usually do and yet generate a similar psychedelic ecstasy amongst the fans especially with Asheem not around. And they SO did!

The band started off with the philosophical ‘Khajuraho’ and followed it up with ‘Melancholic Ecstasy’, a number that Asheem and Sushmit had composed about 18 years ago when the present set up of the band was not even formed and Amit was probably still in school. With their infectious energy, on-stage improvisation and the distinct Indian Ocean sound still intact, the band is seemingly witnessing a new phase of sorts with the inclusion of an exceptional Tabla talent in Tuhin.

Apart from the usual, the fans at blueFrog witnessed a bunch of new songs, the Qawwali-Rock number ‘Darte Ho’- a song made for an upcoming Aamir Khan production, the breathtaking Bengali number, ‘Bondhu’ and the satirical ‘Soney ki Nagri’.  Since the insatiable fans refused to leave, the band did a short version of ‘Bandeh’ to end the show, a number they had already played once.

Indian Ocean came, conquered, came again and conquered some more. Rahul Ram mentioned in the middle of the concert that the band would continue to make great music and keep performing as long as they can since that is what Asheem would tell them right now. Strangely, the tag line of the main sponsors of the show said-

Keep Walking!

Caesar’s Pipes

Café Goa, Mumbai

Caesar’s Pipes played at Café Goa, Mumbai on Wed, May 19^th

There are bands. And then there are BANDS. So which category does Caesar’s Pipes fit into? Some points that should help you figure out:

1)      Caesar’s Pipes really needs to be more aggressive in promoting their music.

2)      I say the above because the Absence of their music and its promotion is a drastic loss to the music scene.

In a sea of bands which go to great lengths to promote their music, Caesar’s Pipes takes over silently. One goes for their gig without having heard much about them, wondering how they would be; the second you hear them play, your open mouth is testimony to their unbelievable class. Shut your eyes, and you would swear it was Dave Matthews Band playing in front of you. Caesar’s Pipes reigned supreme at Café Goa on 19^th May. Both the space and the audience were limited; but both the music and the spirits soared high. A 3 member set (acoustic, vocals, bass) at Café Goa due to space constraints, they covered a few songs, including Jack Black’s ‘The Greatest Song in the World’ and Doobie Brothers’ ‘Long Train Running’. The originals were equally brilliant; particularly ‘Swim’ is one of the most yearningly beautiful compositions I have heard in a long time. Flawlessly synced backup vocals and some light-fingered speedy guitar along with straight-from-the-heart vocals seem to be the norm for every note this band plays. The only improvement I’d suggest is to see and hear more of them around town!

Genre: Indie Folk/Blues

Year: 2010

Label: Dead Oceans

Country of Origin: Sweden

Rating: 9.5/10

The term ‘Dylan-inspired’ is off-handily used by critics umpteen times to describe a particular folk singer’s songwriting capabilities, but in the case of

Kristian Matsson

Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson a.k.a. The Tallest Man on Earth, this term is dead on target. Not only does he have the raw, energetic and southern accented voice, he has the panache of writing earthy folk songs deeply indebted to 60’s roots music. His inspirations maybe antiquated but he is young blood; his spunkiness injects an extra dose of adrenalin into the songs he writes. This lineament drew the attention of listeners towards his critically acclaimed debut album ‘The Shallow Grave’ which ultimately landed him a touring opportunity with notable folk band Bon Iver for whom he was the opening act.

In the second record, Kristian shows an increased maturity in his approach towards writing songs and this new record, dare I say, has the catchiness of pop music. While his earlier record was melancholy tinged, this new record seems like Kristian has exorcised the ghosts of his past and has learnt a lot of lessons. Instead of dwelling on sadness he is embracing it as a part of life and being hopeful that things will improve and that he will set the trend of making changes himself. On this record Kristian seems like a man possessed; his voice commands presence on the record and the songs radiate so much brilliance that it sometimes can be blinding! It’s a perfect record to listen to when you think that your life has been smoked out like a cigarette and all that is left of you is the butt. The Yang of the record will overpower the Yin of your mind. Like the title suggests, Kristian pictures himself on a wild adventure not only to free himself from the chains of quotidian drudgery but also to find the love of his life and to trace his roots. The deft lyricism and the guitar strumming play stellar parts to sink this feeling deep into you. Sample the track ‘King Of Spain’ in which he metaphorically sends the message across that one should pursue our dreams however trivial they may seem to the others by singing “Well if you could reinvent my name, well if you could redirect my day, I wanna be the King of Spain” and by playing the chords on the guitar that sound like a galloping horse on which he is seated to conquer unknown lands. While he is busy being the king of Spain, he also has this eternal longing of being the king of his lover’s heart by singing of his heroics, “You know it’s a Lion’s heart that will tumble and tear apart, when he(himself) is coming down the hills for you” in the track ‘A Lion’s Heart’. This feeling is also echoed in the delicate and sentimental “Love Is All”.

The Tallest Man On Earth

He may be crafting such adorable and accessible songs about love, which will strike a chord with a lot of listeners; on this record he also displays that he is a master storyteller, like in the second track ‘Burden Of Tomorrow’ where he vividly describes his bizarre origins and the reason for his wild hunt by wording, “The rumour has it that I wasn’t born, I just walked in one frosty morn, In the vision of a vacant mind” and “I will find this stranger (himself) that you fear, so that I am not a burden tomorrow dear”. Even on the track ‘The Drying of the Lawns’ his words create a mental picture of the dingy wooden room it is inspired by. All along on these stories of adventure and rollicking in the nature’s bounty, the guitar is his faithful companion. On the subdued songs his guitar strings can be heard plucking and reverberating airily corresponding with the toned down and sometimes detached voice while on his poppy numbers, the guitar takes centre stage and help in creating an ecstatic atmosphere. Like all master craftsmen he saves the best for the last in the form of a ballad ‘Kids on the Run’ which sounds like Bruce Springsteen singing ‘Tears in The Rain’ accompanied by Sir Elton John on the piano. It is a beautiful track that encapsulates his mature understanding of emotions. He sings, “No we have not grown a day from the poison we share” and then laughing it off by singing “Will we ever confess what we’ve done? No, we’re still kids on the run”.

Like a wandering sage, Kristian Matsson crafts tales of his experiences and presents it to the listeners in the form of this phenomenal record that sends the message of bringing positive changes to life by breaking the fortress in which our mind is trapped. This record is lyrically adept and the production is spellbinding. Well, a lot of people may be put off by his raw voice (the same happens with Dylan’s voice too) but after listening to this record they will be reassured that Kristian Matsson’s voice is not gimmicky but has such infectious energy that it will definitely make them swap sides, in favour of The Tallest Man On Earth.

Article by Vikrant Dev

Genre: Dubstep/House/Techno/Experimental

Year: 2010

Label: Hotflush

Catalogue No.: HFCD003

Country Of Origin: U.K.

Rating: 9/10

Dubstep it seems has a dark future, not in the sense that it’s coming to an end, but in the sense that the number of followers of dark dubstep has increased over the years. Not only are there more number of producers making such kind of music, they are also receiving plaudits from critics and listeners alike for creating dark, wistful and inhabitable sonic landscapes. Burial’s eponymous album and the sophomore Untrue, Boxcutter’s Oneiric, Kode 9 + The Spaceape’s Memories of the Future, King Midas Sound’s Waiting For You, etc. and even compilation albums like Appleblim and Shackleton’s Soundboy Punishments and Mary Anne Hobb’s Warrior Dubz have proved that dark dubstep is here to stay and that it is burgeoning. You can add Scuba, who has created a stunning record that delicately balances dance floor frenzy with ambient sounds and field recordings, to the aforementioned list. But, Scuba is not new to this scene. His 2008’s debut and the singles and remixes he released prior to and after that displayed his penchant for drawing influences from industrial sounds. But, what separates Scuba from these other artists is his eclecticism and his experimentation with techno and house music. Part of his eagerness could be explained by his Djing stints at the now famous Berghain night club in Berlin.

Paul Rose

In this record, Scuba creates a more cohesive and tighter sound than his debut simultaneously breaking through the clutter of the deafening slabs of bass driven records that have become synonymous with dubstep. Like Burial, he creates a sound that is cold, detached, robotic, futuristic, and industrial, which mirrors our mechanical existence in the concrete jungle. Though the sounds are cold, they never embrace misery and stay true to the dance floor. To correctly reflect this alien sound, Scuba uses paraphernalia in the form of field recordings of rustling, clattering and clashing objects, falling drops of water, metallic sounds, etc. and uses them as embellishments on the record rather than mere inutile static sounds. These sounds add chaos, liveliness and motility to these tracks. Accompanied by these is the effective and emphatic use of synths like in the barren and beatless album opener ‘Descent’ which dwells on synths that sound like subdued industrial sirens and landing spaceships or like in the third track ‘Three Sided Shapes’ that features droning synths sounding like machines doing menial work. Also, tracks like ‘Tracers’ do have swollen synth passages and uplifting crescendos, but they are either stabs or are short lived, maintaining the frigidity of the record. The sultry and soulful female vocals make an appearance only at the opportune moment, and steal the show away. The vocals are cut up and most of the times echoic. While most of the songs have industrial leanings like the songs crafted by minimal techno artist JPLS, there are songs that use the emptiness of the deep oceans as the muse like in the track ‘Minerals’ which is set amongst beats but uses ambient sounds that are characteristic of whales. Also the near silence of the ambiance contributes to this feeling.

Holding all these elements together are the skeletal beats of the songs. The album opener which is beatless serves as a prelude to the tracks that follow. Most tracks are genre defying and effortlessly and smoothly change from house to two step garage to techno to downtempo and everything in between. Case in the point is the magnanimous track ‘Tracers’; it starts out like it’s a trance song with an intoxicating synth stab, but later gives way to amazing dubstep beats. Even latest trends like UK funky have been incorporated into the songs as can be seen in the track ‘On Deck’. The last song on the record ‘Lights Out’ shows best the ingenuity of Scuba as far as experimenting is concerned. One is left bewildered as to when the transformation has occurred on the track if one gives the track a passive listening. There is a lot of attention to detail here so this record demands a careful listen to enjoy all the nuances.

Scuba Triangulation

Lot of people will crib endlessly about the obvious reference point- Burial’s records. But, Paul ‘Scuba’ Rose has really moved on as can be seen from the plethora of activities going on deep under the cold surface of the tracks. Some tracks may not be dancefloor scorchers like others or may not really give away entirely to adrenalin junkies, but this does not mean they are not doing their job well. In fact that territory is a virgin territory for remixers or for Dj’s who want to slow things down in their set. This record is amazing from head to toe and easily the contenders of the top ten albums of 2010.

Article by Vikrant Dev

Mrigya

BLUEfrog, Mumbai

Mrigya played at BLUEfrog, Mumbai on Thursday, April 15^th

15^th April at Blue Frog saw the stage set for the fusion band Mrigya. They combine varying influences like jazz, funk, blues etc and produce a sound that renowned percussionist Fazal Qureshi (chief guest of the evening for the Mumbai launch of Mrigya’s album ‘The Composition of World Harmony’) aptly phrased as ‘a new sound’.

Mrigya at BlueFROG

The 7-member band started off with some mellow strains on the violin that heralded their original ‘Ganga’. Right from the first note, it was evident that Mrigya belongs to a truly rare breed; a fusion band where each member is phenomenally talented in his own genre and all these genres actually merge into a coherent whole. Once the song peaked in a magnificent violin solo by Sharat, the class act that is Mrigya had proven itself. Next came a deliciously chirpy little tune that grew into their composition ‘Pahari Funk’, followed by the beautiful sufi composition ‘Ali’. But the favorite for the night was their next track ‘Procession’. This piece of genius (aimed at religious harmony/unity) began with Sukriti (Hindustani classical) mouthing verses from the Rigveda. Next, Qadir Bhai followed with Muslim religious verses while the Rigveda continued in faint strains in the background. This somewhat serious composition with darker undertones went on to really capture the audience. Mrigya was also joined by flamenco dancer Sharmini for a song where Qadir Bhai’s mischievous vocals had everyone in splits.

On the flip side, while the Blue Frog has fantastic sound, the stage was somewhat too small to accommodate a band the size of Mrigya, particularly when Sharmini joined in. Also, Mrigya could consider experimenting more with their vocals; ‘Scottish Moors’, for example, had the audience cheering its heart out when other band members also joined in to make a moving vocal experience. More of this could be incorporated into their songs. Overall, however, the musical genius that is Mrigya is truly one to watch out for.

Hanging Gardens, Mumbai

Seher & Shor Bazaar played at Hanging Gardens, Mumbai on Saturday, April 17^th

Seher at Hanging Gardens

A beautiful Saturday evening spent with some good live music at a picturesque venue; what more can one ask for? 17^th April 2010 was just such a day, when two good rock bands Seher and Shor Bazaar played at the Hanging Gardens in Mumbai. The evening was kicked off by Seher with an original ‘Sirf Tum’. Seher, which plays songs (mostly soft rock) in the good ol’ Rashtrabhasha, was a fairly decent band with five members on stage. The opening track was followed by another song titled ‘Huve’. The mellow music appealed to the crowd and Seher managed to rouse a good bit of applause especially with their last song, which was faster than their previous tracks. Although the small stage limited mobility somewhat and the acoustics were not of top quality, overall it was a good set by Seher.

Shor Bazaar at Hanging Gardens

Next came Shor Bazaar, and completely stole the audience’s hearts. The five-member band walked onto the stage and spent a long time checking sound, giving away little strains of music here and there which hinted at their brilliance. And once they started playing in earnest, they went all out; amazing music, some really smart (and different) Hindi lyrics and a killer stage presence were all part of the package. They even interacted with specific people in the crowd (including some foreign nationals, who were seen hugely enjoying themselves despite not comprehending a word, as lead singer JD pointed out) and made sure everyone had fun. Songs like ‘Rasili’, ‘Pagli Ladki’, ‘School’, ‘Jaisalmer Express’ and their very own version of Javed Jaffrey’s ‘Mumbhai’ were played. The overall effect of these really good musicians and performers is best summed up by the words of one lady in the audience, “They are so wonderfully talented. Especially that boy (vocalist JD). They will go very far.” Amen to that, and many thanks to both Seher and Shor Bazaar for a thoroughly enjoyable evening!

Café Goa, Mumbai

Spook played at Café Goa, Mumbai on Wed, April 21^st

Spook at Cafe Goa

What would you expect from a place named Café Goa? Aesthetics, mellow lighting, chilled beer, good food, and – some great music! Alternative band Spook provided the perfect setting to this place in Bandra on Wednesday 21^st April, at an evening organized by Bombay Elektrik Projekt.

Spook is a relatively new five-member band with Akshay on vocals and rhythm, Clavell on violin, Anis on keys, Sonam on bass, and Zain on drums and percussion. The band played an acoustic set without drums, and were still really tight, which is commendable in itself. The music area was full long before the band was done with the sound check, and it was evident that Spook has a fairly loyal fan base already. The set list for the night was a healthy mix of covers and originals. Some of the covers were the Superman song ‘It’s not easy to be me’ (extremely well done) and Greenday’s ‘Time of your life’. The originals included ‘Screwdriver’, ‘Imagine’ and ‘Funky Monkey’, which was a merry song about their bass player. Another original ‘True’ with some great vocals was very reminiscent of Pearl Jam, while the violin was exceptionally memorable in ‘Crayons’. In fact, much of their music has a great Pearl Jam-esque chilled-out-merry-happy feel to it, so it comes as no surprise that the band counts Pearl Jam as one of their influences. The extremely interactive band also had a lot of jokes going, and altogether, Spook set a great tone for the evening.

Hanging Gardens, Mumbai

ToT & The Mavyns played at Hanging Gardens, Mumbai on Saturday, April 24^th

Tough on Tobacco at Hanging Gardens

Yet another great Saturday evening event to revive Bandstand Culture, starring Tough on Tobacco and The Mavyns on 24^th April at the Hanging Gardens. First on stage was Tough on Tobacco, the musical genius/prodigy that is the offspring of artistes from Helga’s Fun Castle and Zero. This band has a completely different sound from most artistes on the Indian music scene, with a rare and brilliant reggae feel, especially the vocals. Soulful originals like ‘Yahweh’, ‘Do what you gotta’, ‘Alone’ (this one was especially good, and is not included in their already-released album, hope to see it in their upcoming one) and ‘Love Love Love’ had the audience completely into them. Their last song ‘Wonder’ had a more powerful beat, and they signed off on a great note. The Indian music scene will definitely have to keep an eye out for this rising star.

ToT was followed by The Mavyns, who are a four-member band with a very refreshing blues/jazz Beatles feel. They played some very happy tunes (one of their songs is even called the ‘Happy Song’), dedicated a song to their guitarist’s hair and even had some people in the audience dancing. The vocalist Vivek (also on keys) dished out some decent vocals. The entire evening had a ‘let’s go to Goa’ feel about it, courtesy both ToT and The Mavyns. A big smile and an ‘It’s all good’ is probably what these bands intended to leave their audience with; they definitely succeeded.

Article by Akshata Bhat

IWA boasts of 400+ whistling members - both male & female, ranging from ages 10 to 75 years.

‘phhhh…phhhh’ that’s the sound of a whistle that most of us can get out. Fortunately, that’s not the case with the members of the Indian Whistlers Association. It was one of the ‘see it to believe it’ moments, or rather a hear it to believe it moment. On 14^th February the members of IWA performed at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival as a tribute to the great Mohd. Rafi. They kept the huge audience enthralled with their impeccable whistling for well over an hour!

The kurta clad, well shaven, smart members of IWA belonged to various different fields. Some were doctors, some senior managers in MNCs, some owned their own businesses, etc. But they all had one thing in common. They could whistle any tune to perfection. The members showed no signs of inhibition in donning a colourful ‘topi’ while performing a qawali, ‘parda hain parda’.

You would question the variety that a group of whistlers can probably bring to the stage. But the audience was in for a surprise. The performance ranged from solo whistling to duets and even to a symphony like effect brought about by the whole group. One of the youngest performers on stage was Sweta, all the way from Chennai. She is a trained classical singer and a classical dancer. She displayed her art in unique style when she performed a dance and whistled at the same time on ‘Madhuban mein radhika nache re’. As versatile as Rafi sahib himself, the performance included romantic numbers, classical numbers and even qawalis.

IWA has entered the LIMCA Book of Records 2009 with 28 whistlers from all over India whistling "Saare Jahan Se Accha..." in unison

At the end of their performance, the IWA in order to promote whistling as an art held a small competition. They would whistle a tune and the audience was to respond by whistling the paragraph of the song. The audience showed tremendous enthusiasm but no one could elicit a whistle half as clear and accurate as the members of the association.

The roar of the applause at the end of the show depicted that the audience understood and appreciated the rare talent that these members had displayed and that they were in fact willing to accept whistling as an art form.

Do visit http://www.whistleindia.org/ for more info on IWA.

Article & Images courtesy: Nikunj Bhaiya