Focusing on the aspect of contrasts

When people tell me India is a land of contrasts, I argue with them that every country has its contrasts and beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. In Paris, sidewalks are decorated with cigarette butts and dog poop alongside good music and art; lifeless objects enjoy protection in museums and homeless people wither outside museums (France is a socialistic country); metro stations also serve as Opera Houses for poor artists and urinals and shelters for the homeless.

One of these beautiful contrasts caught my attention last Saturday, while I was ambling down Rue Rambuteau (adjacent to Center Pompidou). First, it was the UFO shaped instrument that intrigued me; second, its acoustics - it doubled up as percussion and non-percussion; it sounded like Sitar and Tabla together and sometimes Veena and Ghatam. Lastly, what captivated me was the sense of rhythm and melody in the man aided by the shaker in his left foot and a musical anklet in his right foot.

You can read more about this instrument on Wikipedia.  Here is a clipping that I made with the permission of the artist.

When I heard him for the first time it sounded like Gayathri on the Veena and Vikku Vinayakarm on the Ghatam. An hour later when I came back on the same street it sounded like Ravi Shankar on the Sitar and Zakir Hussain on the Tabla. I was mesmerized and I patiently waited for the artist to finish the number. I pounced on him as soon as he stepped out of his seat for a break and requested for a short interview to know more about him, the instrument and share the similarities his music bears with Indian music.

Here is an excerpt from a short interview that I had with him post his performance on the sidewalk.

Me: Hello, my name is Chandra and I am fascinated by how an instrument can sounded both like percussion and non-percussion?

He: I am Jeremy Nattagh (JN). This instrument is called a HandPan and this has influences from Trinidad and Tobago. The instrument is made in a variety of scales and is manufactured in Spain. I am headed to Brittany in France early next week to pick-up another one to add to my collection.

Me: You are smiling, happy and a conversationalist too. You can’t be a Parisian. So, where are you from Jeremy? Where did you learn to play this instrument?

JN: He flashes another big smile and turns his head from left to right before he answers. I am from Paris, France though my father is from Iran. I play piano, flute and drums, though I prefer to play HandPan. I taught myself to play this instrument.

Me: So, do you collaborate with artists around the world?

JN: Yes, I have collaborated with instrumentalist and vocalist across the world. I have played with a Sitar player here in Paris and next week I will be performing with Adele B and Cendre Osmoza at The Galarie 59, rue de Rivoli, Paris. I invite you to attend my performance. 

Just before I said thank-you to Jeremy, I took a selfie with him. Neither of us is famous and this selfie never may get 35 million hits like the one with Indian Prime Minister and Chinese President, but that was not the intent of this selfie. It is to show the smile and simplicity of a beautiful artist. 

Jeremy didn’t look like a musician who played for money or fame. His passion and love for music can be seen when he busy with his instruments. If there was one track that kept repeatedly playing in my head that day it was,” Why should artists like Jeremy languish on the sidewalks of Paris?” All I could do for Jeremy was get a copy of his CD, attend his performance on May 23 in Paris and share and write about his music. 

Sadly, neither artists understand the real world nor the world understands the artist, but in between this standoff, we come together at concerts and try to connect through music. You can find such musicians all over Paris. Some play on the sidewalks, some play at metro stations and some play on the metros as well, yet Parisians frown :-( 

You can visit Jeremy Nattagh’s webpage and follow him on YouTube and other social media channels.