Anoushka's album with Karsh Kale was a chance dsicovery when browsing for her music on You Tube. The album takes forward Shankar's inheritance in a way that he would have wished for. Ravi Shankar spent the greater part of his life playing with the likes of George Harrison, John Coltrane and Yehudi Menuhin in that part of the world which had never been treated to the magic of Hindustani music. Ravi Shankar was more popularly known as the ambassador of Hindustani music across the globe. Anoushka continues the effort by collaborating with Sting and Ravi Shankar himself on this album.
If you get a chance to hear this album, amongst other interesting parts is the smooth takeover demonstrated by Sting when he picks up on track number four 'Sea Dreamer' from the Sitar solo 'Breathing under Water' and weaves his rhythmic lyrics in the legendary style of the English star. I have replayed this track umpteen number of times without once losing interest in the Indian melody that Sting has redefined to sound as global as it could get. Its interesting to note that Sting and Menuhin both happened to have inetgrated Yoga into their lives in a serious way. Whether it influenced their music style in any way remains to be explored. Sting also played the role of an activist for eliminating hunger and violence, working with Amnesty International and similar organizations across the world. I remember watching one of Sting's concerts on DVD, which featured many artists from across the world playing in the backyard of Sting's mansion in Italy for a select audience of around a hundred people exclusively invited by Sting. Unfortunately, just a couple of days before this concert, 9/11 happened. As a response, Sting composed the now popular track 'Fragile' and performed it unplugged at this concert.
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