2011: A year of collaborations, deaths and Internet

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The year 2011 has been a year of highs and lows for Indian music. While at one end it was eventful and fast-paced — music festivals gave music aficionados another chance to travel and experience the “real” taste of music — hardly leaving any space to breathe, it also saw the year spearheading the growth of music on the Web. The video sharing portal YouTube has emerged as an alternative stage for independent musicians in India, many of whom not only stream their music on their YouTube channels, but also earning revenue.

Then on a sombre note, 2011 also saw the demise of several musical legends. Hallmarks in their own right, they were known for their own distinguished style of rendition of music. We take a look at why 2011 was memorable musically.
Music festivals: The year 2011 saw music festivals transcending new boundaries, thus giving more impetus to musicians and the audience. The annual Rajasthan International Folk Festival, which entered its fifth year attracted a good number of people. Jodhpur is growing to be a favourite destination for its music as people from all over the world attended the festival. If the folk and rustic element of Jodhpur wasn’t enough, we also had the NH7 Weekender in Pune in November, in its second year, offering a range of genres of music to choose from. With six different stages and spirit in the air, the festival was hard to miss. The Storm music festival in Bengaluru too caught up very well, and so did the Autumn Music Festival in the North East. This year was remarkable with the sheer numbers in the audience.
Global platform: India is emerging to be a one-stop destination for musicians around the world. Several Indian musicians collaborated with artistes from abroad and vice versa. From Rahul Sharma striking an album with Kenny G to seeing Imogen Heap jam with Indian musicians in The Dewarists, the year has been full of dual forces coming together.
Music on television: If MTV Coke Studio gave us a glimpse of collaborations and rich music, The Dewarists took it to new terrains in India, where music could be made sitting in the lap of nature. Both the shows took the process of making music beyond the studio and showed the innovative and creative side of our musicians. It also opened doors for several folk artistes and bands in terms of getting recognition and financial viability. The shows truly did a fabulous job in exposing the enormous possibilities in music and took it beyond the usual fare on different music channels. It also showed that such music is appreciated and that Bollywood is not the be-all and end-all of music in India.
Kolaveri mania: From an eight-year-old to an 80-year-old, everyone had this song on his or her lips. The Kolaveri mania caught on like fire with the audience and everyone took to the Web to see Why This Kolaveri Di? The song had the whole country tuned into it. With various versions of the music, the song became popular internationally registering 2.75 crore hits. The Internet also saw independent Indian musicians reaching up to audiences through YouTube channels.
Eternal legends: This year we lost some of our greatest musical icons. One of the most eminent music exponents Pandit Bhimsen Joshi passed away on January 24. His legendary renditions will always remain with the hearts of connoisseurs. Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh breathed his last on October 10. His distinguished style and efforts to popularise the genre of ghazal remains unparalleled. The voice of North East India Bhupen Hazarika also passed away on November 5. Sarangi maestro and classical singer, Ustad Sultan Khan, died on November 27. He was best known for hits like Piya Basanti and Albela Sajan Aayo Re. Internationally, Amy Winehouse was cursed with the club of 27 as she gave away to drugs and alcohol. The Grammy award-winning artiste will be missed.