My introduction to this sort of music came before “Coke Studio” began. It happened many years ago when I was staying in Lahore with my friend Iftikhar, a retired colonel from General Pervez Musharraf’s batch in the Pakistan Military Academy.
One evening Iftikhar took me to the Waris Road residence of Masood Hasan, later to become a fellow columnist of mine at The News. We had a few glasses of the good stuff with some other guests (friend Ejaz Haider was also present) and then Hasan took us to a part of the property where his son Mekaal had built a studio and was playing with his band. This was when I first heard the music that is now so distinctively the sound of “Coke Studio”. I would define it as a folk song or raag-based melody, layered with western orchestration. This included a synthesiser’s wash, guitars, a drummer, a bass punctuating the chord changes and backing vocals and harmony. Essentially, it was traditional Hindustani music made palatable for ears accustomed to listening to more popular music.
Mekaal did this very well and his band’s first album, Sampooran, is as good as anything produced by Rohail Hyatt at “Coke Studio” later. Indeed, many of the musicians Mekaal worked with eventually ended up at “Coke Studio”. Gumby, the Karachi drummer on “Coke Studio’s” first four seasons, played on Sampooran. Zeb and Haniya, the stars of “Coke Studio 2”, were originally produced by Mekaal.
The first-rate Hindustani singer Javed Bashir, who adds depth to the singers that are not classically trained, used to be a lead singer with Mekaal’s band. The great Ghulam Ali was on a flight with me from Ahmedabad to Bombay once and I told him I was friends with Javed. “Mera hi bachcha hai,” he said with great pride. And Lahore’s Pappu, Pakistan’s best flautist, has played flute for Mekaal’s records. I know all these people well and most have stayed with me in Bombay over the years. I am very fond of all of them.
Gumby and I went to a concert next to my house where guitarists Frank Gambale and Maurizio Colonna played. Gumby says Colonna’s playing brought tears to his eyes. Javed and I have drunk a few places dry and have been banned from one. Mekaal is, of course, a dear friend, as are Zeb and Haniya. I’m dropping these names so it is understood that I am familiar with the music and the musicians as few Pakistanis are. Now, to understand why India did not produce “Coke Studio” but Pakistan did.
The reason is linked to what I said earlier — that “Coke Studio” is a popular interpretation of India’s traditional music. India’s talented musicians and producers already have a commercial outlet: Bollywood. This is where money is made and this is where Pakistan’s singers who want commercial success must also come.
Their talent, however, is spent on making music that is purely popular, because that is what they are paid big money for. Indian musicians like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Kailash Kher can make the sort of classical-popular mix of music that one hears on “Coke Studio” easily if they set aside a couple of months for it. But they choose not to because their working day is spent making music that makes them rich (Kailash, whom I’ve known since before he sang for Bollywood, today charges Rs20 lakh for a two-hour concert). In Pakistan, there is no commerce in music and even the most talented musicians must do something other than sing or play to get by. Mekaal rents out his studio.
The disadvantages of not having a commercial outlet for one’s talent are many. The only advantage of this is that musicians are free to make popular music that is still non-commercial. Fortunately, for all of us, whether Indian or Pakistani, Rohail Hyatt and his team have used this space to produce the music that we love so much. The reason why Coca Cola produces the show is that the Pakistani public will not directly pay for it, unlike Indians and Bollywood.
It is cruel to say this but it is true.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 10th, 2012.
COMMENTS (81)
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The discussion is only about Coke Studio and I can see that people dragging it over to cultures,regions bla bla. Those who understand and love music can easily adjudge the quality to two shows ( whatever may be the reason of one excelling over other). No one has stopped MTV coke studio from being excellent (nonethless some tracks are awesome-Katyaani,Hoo etc) and macthup to the level of Coke Studio Pakistan. It can easily be said that : There are some excellent tracks produced in CS Pakistan which brings freshness to music, which I couldnt find in our Coke Studio. The reason might be the people producing the show on our side: Seems not to have much knowledge of Indian traditional/classic and other geners of music and are more related to Bollywood kind of music, which might not be the case in Pakistan. So listen to all coke studio tracks and try to make an intelligent decision.
@Random: hahaha..... nobody had noticed it yar.
@logic wins: Gifted artists? Last I checked I saw a batch of playback singers with identical voices and some grossly over rated music composers, more than 90% of which copy the Turkish, Malaysian, Japanese(and God knows what other) tunes.
Lame excuse, listen Fareed Ayaz & Abu Muhammad's "Rung" and then re-write your article, India's 3 times bigger, and there will be lots of talent in there no argument on this but, the difference is we have Rohail who's making right choices & experimentation . We do not see any experiments nor selection of right artists & proper instruments, it all sounds like a "junky noise" Leslie Lewis has produced a "Joke Studio".
P.S. Those who perform only for money shouldn't even be called "Artists".
It's a pretty sad state of affairs Indians and Pakistanis doing the "my dad is better than your dad" routine. Watching music evolve in both India and Pakistan is like watching microbial culture grow in a petri dish, both fed different khaad (feed). Without the influence of a good movie industry, Pakistani pop/rock scene has thrived. In the presense of a good movie industry, Indian pop/rock scene has yielded to filmi music scene. Both are good in their own right. Pakistanis blasting Indian pop/rock scene should first count the number of Indian bollywood songs they know by heart. The number is going to be not less than 500. And that is because we Pakistanis love bollywood music. Guys, and especially my Pakistani brothers, please stop comparing apples and oranges.
Aakar has written excellently in a good positive note. Kindly do not destroy this piece of good writing because of your prejudice behavior. Don"t argue uselessly instead enjoy this article.
It's not that we are tryin' to under-estimate or degrade Indian talent. The thing z that they sholud give credit when it's due N,accept, acknowledge and respect the collaborations beyond border, jus' as we Pakistanis do
yeah,their musicianz will tek "inspiration" from Paksitani,Korean,English, Arabic singers and make their own songs.Indians will be more than happy at this ripped of music, Coz they never bother to listen the original ones( as they have pride that "Here in India, most people do not even know the name of Pakistani TV Channels let alone Coke Studio.") Only if they widen their horizons, they will realize where their music z coming from. Honestly, anything original I see in Bollywood z Sheela n Channo types.(otherwise, story music everything z "inspired".
Here in India, most people do not even know the name of Pakistani TV Channels let alone Coke Studio.
oh ! this is really important .... The next war between India & Pakistan will be over music ...
In the comments, people are arguing about Pakistani & Indian music, which is better. However, on reading the article, my response is that it is a lousy article, written to establish 2 things: (I) All known musicians were the 'find' of Mekaal Hassan (either he's made the writer a good deal, or they are really really close) (II) The writer knows the newer musicians very well personally! Wow, and this won you a space on Tribune!
Coke studio sucks
@Aakar: Nice article.. Having been associated with the Music business in India at one point of time. I partly agree with your sentiments. Money and scale of the industry does play a role in qualitative difference between Indian and Pakistani music. But I would slightly differ from you interpretation in how it does.
In my opinion, it is the market and presence of money that makes Indian Artists take an Industrial (Market Mein Chalega) approach vs an artistic approach towards creating Music ...
Technical refinement unfortunately has got to do very little in what will strike an emotional connect with the listener. Music needs to appeal to the soul of the artist first, before being sold to the audience.
@Logic is wrong at times:
because arts,culture,music,science thrives in a free and liberal environment.Pakistani society is slowly but surely getting completely Talibanized.The fear is musicians may get persecuted. It is here where India provides hope, as a place where they can showcase their talent.
as many posters have pointed out there are other genres of music which people may prefer. Coke studio must be a giant step for the musicians and good luck to them.
@abhi,bro., here in Pakistan Classic musc z still alive, to some extent and z apprecaited by public. N, me along with most ov the Pakistanis have heard and luv'd it. N, plz listen to all the 5 seasons of Coke Studio and then talk 'bout "coke studio is your idea of “quality” music". I mean, it z based upon the classic type ov music. Only, in this 5th season, they have emphasized upon rock and all. So, without a proper knowledge of CS,plz do not judge things... :)
@ mina If coke studio is your idea of "quality" music, you have not heared any classical music.
@logic wins: Now , what does coke studio have to do with taliban?? People just. Cant appreciate anything good these days!!
^ LOL @ all of the people who got offended... Seriously, how old are the people commenting here?
Anyway, I honestly think you're avoiding the real reason. Other than the brilliance of Rohail Hyatt, (Mashallah), I think it has a lot to do with religion. Coke studio's most famous tracks have been sufi and folk songs. That spiritual aspect is what makes it amazing. Its not about money, love for humans, sex, etc.
The music has been about the love of the divine and the liberation of the soul. This is what makes that music so enthralling and moving. And this is what's missing from the contemporary superficial music we hear being produced all over the world including India.
Forget Kashmir or Siachen , We are going to War with India over Coke Studio :D yipeeeeee
Also,not to forget the similarity I feel between the music composed by Indian composers in the previous decade and the Pakistani music( What Pak.musicians gave 5 years earlier seems to be repeated by Shankar Ehsaan Loy,Pritam n kinds,now),Also, the Coke Studio kind ov music z being tried to be produced ni Bollywood, after the show.So, rather than jus' listenin' N seeking pride in your Indian music, plz try to trace down from where it z cumnig.(N, ov course show sum respect 2wards the source. Let's jus' forget these weird comparisons and enjoy the similarities and collaborations btw the 2 countries.
comparing Indian TV plays against ours=comparing our contemporary music against Indian contemporary music=awkward wierdness
The awkward moment when I see people comparing Coke Studio against the Tamil and telgu movies :D I mean, "dabbang" type material being compared to CS Pakistan cannot stop laughing Well, a larger viewership does not ensure quality (quality as we Pakistanis see it, not that "munni sheela" and "Kolaveri" and "Indian Idol" standard)..Also, India's greater exposure and hold outside and Pakistan's image in foreign countries, all explain 'bout those Grammies that you got N we didn't. I mean, even I listen to Bollywood and Indian classic type music but I can not dare to compare it with our Pakistani music.Maybe, in some things we have a different taste and that's why we feel that Pakistani music iz far better than Indian music.And, why to compare and give such silly reasons by the author 'bout India not giving CS standard music, you keep your views 'bout your music by yourself and let us keep ours
Forget pakistan coke studio ,indians doesn'nt even listen indian coke studio ,for hindi speaking belt its bolywood music which works while people from southern state listen to the music in their own language and people with deep knowledge of music usually attend concert by hundreds of music gharanas spread all over India which is quite rich and diverse for any country(again forget pakistan) ,coke studio is ''dudh pita baccha'' against them . Here nobody is having bad dreams if pakistan coke studio is better than indian ,frankly most people doesn't know and care what the coke studio is .........
@zeshaan The handful name you have listed are not even worth listening second time. The abuse you are hurling at kolavery d but the fact is most of coke studio music is like that only. After so much hype I listened few songs on you tube, but i don't think i will spend money to buy a CD of these songs. There may be few Indians who may like to listen these songs may be just to change the taste. Adnan sami and Rahat ali khan were big hit intially but when they started churning out the same type of songs, people stopped listening them. Your rant about not wining an oscar is also useless. Someone at top of the blog already listed gramy won by indians and A. R. remahan already won oscar. How many internation awards pakistani singers have won?
@Laila Noor:
Obviously you haven't heard of Freddie Mercury who was of Indian origin.
Wait a second! If the kind of music made in Coke Studio has no commercial value, then how did your chuddy buddy Mekaal Hasan suceed? Also why does everybody in Pakistan and vast numbers of people in India listen to the music? Also your use of "hindustani" singer when referring to Javed is a little misleading. To say that Pakistani culture/tradition is the same as Indian tradition or culture (and yes, Hindustan does mean present day India no matter how much you protest it means pre-partition India) is a complete fallacy. I say this because I have both Indian Muslim and Indian Hindu best friends and the cultural differences are incredibly apparent. Your point about Bollywood was just a little askew, it is about demand. Coke Studio in Pakistan only works because there is some demand for it. The Indian audience is perfectly content with bollywood songs, which are by and large also brilliant, and those who aren't have the Pakistan Coke Studio music to listen to. Finally I must say the Pakistani Coke studio has more songs I would listen to over and over again whilst Indian Coke Studio is merely pleasant to the ears, not addictive. Basically to summise I disagree with most of what you said BUT I do agree that in theory India could make equally good if not better Coke Studio style music, but there's not a huge demand for it so there's no point in them doing so
And why so much stress on people being related to mekaal band? what were you trying to prove anyway? lol
Haha the only answer to the so called difficult question is that indians can not pull of pop and rock, admit it guys :P its the dilemma since forever. The article was more of an explanation "ham bhi ye karsaktay hain but hamaray paas time nahi and we earn more then you pakistanis" a very average article...
@Zeeshan: I didnt say that Pakistani music or musicians are lower than Indian ones. I said my preference is to soulful music and that I find in Indian musicians more than Pakistanis. If you have learnt music and if you do listen to it with an ear to finding the difference you would know it. I love Rahat's voice and I have heard him before he even sang a song in Indian movies. Just listen to his earlier songs and listen to Main Jahan Rahon, O re piya and such compositions. You can find the mood of the song so apparent and song rendered with those emotions that suit the scene in his later ones. Thats also the reason why they have been recognized and feted in the sub-continent.
Forget Music - Judging by the number of Indians commenting here - Pakistani newspapers are definitely more popular than Indian
@V Ramaswamy,
"Pakistani singers are good but they lack soul in their music."
I feel that about all Indian singers from Lata to AR Rahman.
Pakistani singers are good but they lack soul in their music. If one has closely followed Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Safqat Amanat Ali you can find their transformation from their style to one of Indian Style which is rich in emotion & soul. Bollywood might be crap otherwise but its contribution to light music has to be appreciated.
On the subject of Coke Studio, the idea might have emanated from Pakistan. But to say that the Pakistani version is more popular than the Indian version is incorrect. I have listened to both and I can say with conviction that the 5th release that contains Shankar Mahadevan, Richa Sharma, Bombay Jayashree, Wadali Brothers, Ustad Rashid Khan is definitely a cut above the Pakistani version. Theres so much variety and depth in the Indian version and of course emotion and soul. But it is not to say that the Pakistani version is bad. But I like music thats got soul & emotion than bass & technical perfection.
As far as hindi and urdu is concerned, bollywood musdominates the entertainment on the subcontinent and across the world; to deny that is denying the audiance. the
know-alls have a tendency to denounce everything commercial. The collective judgement of people cannot be wrong over a long period of time. Just as there are moods and phases in a persons life, so there are phases in the industry. For romantic to playful dance songs to sadness etc. The quantity that is produced in bollywood is enormous and hence everything will not appeal to everyone. But the variety of music that the likes of Sonu Nigham, Rafi ji, lata, asha, kishor, jagjeet, nusrat fateh ali (for Pakistan), and even todays hits like soniti chohan etc is a huge addition to hindi and urdu music. Across tevery street in Pakistan and northern india, no day passes by where such numbers are played again and again and thats saying something.Aakaar: It isn't correct that we don't have enough Coke Studio like music in India. Check Shrutibox on youtube. There are many such popular yet not on TV bands, which produce wonderful music.
The main reason why Coke Studio India didn't succeed is primarily due to choice of composer (Lesley lewis). He isn't the best suited for for producing fusion music of the type Coke Studio needed. Someone with far greater understanding of sub-continental classical music would do much better. There are many such...
I believe if Shankar Tucker of Shrutibox takes over coke studio, you'll get to hear damn good music from Coke Studio India as well.
@ Aaker Patel
Comments on your article have turned into same 'One Nation theory' that you wrote about. . I wonder if one should write about India Pakistan at all! Type of comments coming from both sides show that level of maturity is quite similar on both sides!
Why this kolaveri di?
Just shut up and enjoy the music. Bunch of juveniles.
I am interested what were those ... "We had a few glasses of the good stuff with some other guests"
@Adnan Just accept it that music is something in which you can never EVER compete with Pakistan
Why? Just because you say so?? Or is that Pakistan's new 'demand for resumption of ties'?
How many CD's do Pakistani singers sell? How many awards do they win internationally? 99.9% of the Indian population is not even aware of 'coke studio" . Your singers give up singing and start acting in bollywood movies. They come here and sing songs for Indian composers and music directors where they do not even own copyrights for the songs they sing. All your singers put together will not be able to sell as may hit songs as Lata Mangeshkar alone.
If someone thinks coke studio is a 'hit' in India then either your benchmarks are too low or you are high on something
@logic wins: India offers hope to Pakistani musicians? PLEASE! You can't even support your own so called singers. And how many Pakistani artists have traveled across the border in search of this 'hope'? Ten? Twenty? We produce good musicians here every second. I'm amazed how much Indians can be so jealous? You have a better economic structure, entertainment scene, one of the biggest movies industries in the world etc. Just accept it that music is something in which you can never EVER compete with Pakistan
@ Brute Force: Even when CD shops are burnt, we continue to produce music that touches people's hearts instantly. As for the 23 languages, having potential is no measure for success; its tapping potential which our musicians have done for the last six decades. The problem with you Indians is that you bring commercialism into everything! Sure some of our artists run after money but our true artist don't have to - their music does it for them. See: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sahab and the U2 of Asia - Junoon.
this feature talks more about musical talent rather than singing so comparing indian idol (a singing talent show) to coke studio is pointless. I think while Indian music scene in general is much larger, diversified and attractive (read lucrative), the Pakiatanis have, at least for once, produced a magnificent musical show amalgamating rock with folk/sufi music. So my friends, just enjoy the show and why this Kolaveri di??
To compare Bollywood against Pakistan Music Industry, please watch the compilation on youtube ( so far 20 parts of the following video, with list growing):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC60Y--PuY4
@logic wins:
No denying that Bollywood offers the money.
However you probably dont know much about Pakistani Music Industry and how far it reaches.Indians think that they are the ones who made Atif Aslam, Rahat & Shafqat Amanat Ali famous ( in Bollywood yes, but in Pak they were already famous).
Perhaps they should read some history of how these guys. How Jal, Fuzon, Strings, Junoon, Noori, EP, Vital Signs can ever be compared to commercial Bollywood music? These guys dont know about Hassan Jehangir but play Hawa Hawa in their clubs. They dont know about Alamgir yeh they have heard Dekha Na Tha. The list can go on and on!
Perhaps you should check out the series on youtube showing how Bollywood has ripped Pakistani Music for so long!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC60Y--PuY4
@Wondering: Thank you for the only sane comment on this article. The simplistic nature of the author's argument is amazing and you expose it well. We, in Pakistan, listen avidly to Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi and many others. Truly music has no boundaries and there are no linear/single reasons to suggest why Pakistan produces good music.
Never heard of coke studio.
@Zeeshan thank you for bursting the bubble. From his theory I live in US, and hence should have the most exposure to different cultures on the planet, but yet I care a dime about any other part of India than northern India. Rest of it is a big blah. Even americans and european only only about bollywood, and that's the start and end of how 'culturally rich' and 'far reaching' karnatak or malyalam music is.
what is coke studio ?
The deliberately dropped-in mentions of alcohol consumption were irrelevant and uncalled for.
hello to my pakistani friends who thinks pakistani music is better than indian music, don't have an iota of knowledge what indian music represents.It doesn't represent an language.It represents culture with sound of people and their feelings. And with diverse country like india no other country can match india's musical quest let alone pakistan. We used to learn in our text book that our diversity is our strength and trust me I feel that everyday when listen any indian song. I am gujarati patel (same as Aakar patel) but my favourite songs are in tamil (and korean) though i don't know the language.And I also listen to bengali and telugu songs.Have any one of you has heard Haris Jayraj? If no then please don't talk about indian music.Bollywood is will be the prime entertainer for india .But it shouldn't be taken as the indian music ambassador. Indian music is so much more than that. Hope you will find some new songs in regional languages of india also.
@Zeeshan: The fact that Indians with “23 recognized languages” are tuning in to listen to Pakistani songs and music do speak something well or highly of Pakistani music. This is yet another delusion that you guys live in. The fact is that there are very few Pakistani artists who have cross-border appeal, hence the popularity of the Coke Studio format in bringing such talent to the fore. The few that do well in India achieve prominence through the Hindi film industry, and increasingly have very little output that Pakistan can take credit for. Second, your argument is ridiculous - most normal people will not watch movies in languages that they do not understand, but music transcends those boundaries; you will find kids in colleges fests in the South happily swaying to Punjabi beats or to a Spanish number, and you must be aware of how popular the Kolaveri di number is even in Pakistan. Third, no country has the kind of cultural diversity that India offers (language, script, culture, attire, food, cinema, music, dance etc), and you should spend a little more time in finding out why.
@Zeeshan: is this a stupid logic day Zeeshan ? Indians burning down Cinema halls ? Indians flocking to listen to Pakistani Coke Studio ? The kind of Music produced in Pakistan in a year do not equal to what is produced in a small Indian state like Kerala. If you have doubts just google it. If you just look at the evolution of Music, Dance and Cinema in just South India; just for example - Tamil Movies are watched in countries you wont believe if i name - for instance Japan (Rajani Movies !!) or in Malaysia, Canada, France, in U.S. The French government on multiple occasions have awarded the Chevalier title to doyens of South Indian Movie industry. Your logic (and some others who posted here) resonates a proverb - you can wake up a guy who is asleep but you cant wake up someone who is acting as if asleep
@Zeeshan: My parents hail from south India and they don't watch any Bollywood movies but listen to songs every now and then. So Bollywood is not all conquering in south india even in film music segment. Do some research about traditional music such as Carnatic music (Chennai music festival etc) which are still thriving in India today. We have space for all types of music to grow.
As for your comment on urdu, i listen to Telugu classical songs even though I don't understand the language..so language is not a barrier. in a nut shell, we Indians appreciate our rich diversity which is something alien to you folks..
@Zeeshan: my friend i think you are children thats y u compare indian music tradion with islamic tradition music industry .ask any foreigner what they know about pakistani tradition. and you should know that Sonu Nigam has sung 20000 Songs including White house infront of George Bush and Oprah Winfrey ..he is the only singer from Asia to be featured in Larry King Live @CNN in US and India has 5 Grammy Award Winners 1. Zakir Husain 2. Vikku Vinayak 3. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt 4. A.R. Rehman 5. Pandit Ravi Shankar
which is the highest Global Music Awards...so singing 10-15 sufiana songs makes very negligible effect in India ... Even Nazia hassan frm pak has also sung in Qurbani and was a craze for few years ... NOBODY KNOWS WHERE SHE IS . and plese you don't know any thing about indian different music industry so plese don't comment about it .your so called sufi kavvali music industry is only 1% of indian whole music industry.
It will indeed be a big day when something sensible is penned by this author. I've noticed that he chooses topics which can easily create the divide and the almost inevitable "comments" war. People like him are what we need to watch out for , as they breed ill will in the name of analysis.
I love Pakistani music (am an Indian) , have loved it for many years without thinking that it is Pakistani. Be it coke, Mehdi Hasan sahib , wadali brothers, Nusrat .. too many to name. It is a music that reminds me of my land and speaks to my heart.
I don't care that it belongs to a different country. It is my music and by my brothers, geographical boundaries be damned.
@BruteForce,
Pakistan does produce better music and singers. That's why Indians (at least the Northern part) listen to Pakistani music and not Bengali or Malayali songs. That's why Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and many others were/are famous in your country. Heck, even Pakistani Punjabi singers are famous in India than the other way around.
To argue India is culturally rich as something unique to India is senseless self-touting (While we burn down music stores, you are known to burn down your cinemas). India has more people but every country is culturally rich. In Pakistan, each region, if you've opened your eyes, produces diverse music and melody. In Pakistan, the Pathans and Balochs have their instruments and melody. Unlike India, in Pakistan, where one language known as Urdu reigns supreme and is understood by everyone, music in this language became the best medium of expression. Hence, its popularity.
In India, how many Malayalis watch Bengali movies? Except for Bollywood, which itself, dominated by certain communities, the rest of "Indian movies" are rarely watched by people outside of the language spoken.
The fact that Indians with "23 recognized languages" are tuning in to listen to Pakistani songs and music do speak something well or highly of Pakistani music.
As it is with food, Coke(music) and Burgers go together!! Besides with burgers, Coke(studio) is not very popular with the masses.
It's true that India has a much diverse cultural and musical tradition than Pakistan, naturally, and I'm sure there are tons of very talented musicians there, but the problem is that the average Indian person these days is weaned so heavily on a diet of Bollywood that he's more than happy with the lowest common denominator of music that Bollywood produces.
In Pakistan, the lack of mainstream popularity of the local film industry meant that people still look to music for entertainment (which is considered less "indecent" and religiously a bit more compatible, especially because of the Sufi culture), even Bollywood is still a comparatively recent phenomena here as compared to India and the general public is better able to appreciate other types of music.
@Sheheryar: "A very weak analysis of why Pakistan produce better music than India."
You state this as though it is an established fact that Pakistan produced 'better' music than India. Are you familiar with Hindustani classical music? Are you familiar with Carnatic classical music? Are you familiar with folk music in different parts of India e.g. Punjabi Bhangra, Gujarati, garba and dayraa, Marathi lavani, Rabindra sangeet in Bengal? Have you ever attended the Thyag raja festival? Are you familiar with bhajans, ghazals and qawwalis being produced in India? Have you heard music from Tamil, Telugu and Malyali movies? No.
It is true that some Pakistani singers are popular in India but that does not mean Indian music industry depends on them. On the contrary, they depend on Indian music industry because Pakistani music industry simply does not provide enough market to sustain them.
Indian idol is more popular than all these shows put together, so???
IndPak mud slinging match opens. Here we go ....
I am puzzled at the total lack of music ( not singers ) coming out of Pakistan. music is made by music directors and lyricist - not by singers. Why is it so ? The less said about the quality of rock band music from Pakistan , the better. It has very poor musical quality , poor melody and mostly cacophony , just as rock band music from India or anywhere else.
Too many weak logic's in the article ....
@Usman: @Sheheryar:
India has 23 recognized languages. How many language music have you listened apart from Bollywood music to say Pakistan produces better music and has better singers?
Do you know even one Indian language apart from Hindi and English to make such outlandish claims?
India is culturally much richer than any other country in the World. While Pakistan struggles to cope up with a single Movie and/or Music industry, India has it in the dozens. So please come out of your delusions of grandeur.
The assertion that India is culturally inferior to any nation on this Earth is a laughable, especially place where Musicians are hunted and CD shops are burnt.
the game begins once again. I can only laugh when i read comment like sheheryar "Pakistan produce better music than India"!
peach fuzz cries :-( why is my comment not being approved?
@Usman: with the imminent talibanisation, forget composing and singing , you would be lucky even to listen to music.for gifted artistes, only India offers hope.
"Coke Studio" is very good analogy for modern day product. Like Coke, which contains no fruit juice, but only synthetic flavors and colors these music have no soul nor the melody.The mass demands it, and lot of money to be made. If Pakistani music is this much coke Indian music must be the cokest. IPL another such coke product is to cricket what Coke Studiio is to music, and higher GDP means good for both Coke studio and IPL No doubt both flourish in Incredible India along with Coke. All the while the real good music and musicians are suffering like the health of poor Mehdi Hassan. Pleased to know however that he too is coming to India for treatment. My subjective view apart, it all boils down to survival of the fittest. Veena Mallik and Coke Studio have struggled hard in their own sphere to realise the benefit of Indian growth story.
A very weak analysis of why Pakistan produce better music than India. I would have thought of better excuse than the Indians "choose not to because their working day is spent making music that makes them rich".
I will agree that the relative prominence of Coke Studio is higher in Pakistan simply because the choices available to Indians are far higher (across genres, languages and formats). However, 1. Pakistan's Coke Studio has been around since 2008 while India's Coke Studio (inspired by the success of the Pak version) was introduced in 2011. So it is incorrect to say that the Indian version (which has run for less than a year) is less popular, it is just that it hasn't been around for that long. 2. The reason why Coca Cola produces the show is that the Pakistani public will not directly pay for it, unlike Indians and Bollywood. And yet you begin your op-ed with the argument that the Pak version of Coke Studio is highly popular among Indians, which means that they are even willing to look across the border for high-quality music - and should therefore be willing to pay more as well. Apart from regular Hindi film playback, the number of bands from Pakistan who come to India to play has increased significantly - which again indicates that Bollywood does not dominate the scene to the extent that no other genre has a chance.
Errr...know what bro! you could have just admitted this: Pakistan pop/rock music is much creative and much better than Indian pop/rock (i even doubt if it seriously exists!). And in return, we'd have gleefully congratulated you for producing much better bollywood music. But alas! u wrote this piece in bitter taste to say the least! You tried to defend the failure of Indian coke studio by bringing in the money theory! Lame!! And for Christ's sake, I can't even think about Shankar or Kailash singing a rock song like any pakistani pop rock band! I am all in peace listening to them in bollywood only!
that's actually true, being a professional musician in Pakistan is difficult as there are no commercial concerts, music is CDs are easily pirated and not much revenue from TV either. That is why only the rich (who are rich because of family like Mekaal, Noori and almost everyone else) dare venture into music. If you are talented but not rich then there's very little chances that you'll become a big name.