A slice of history itself!

Mumbai, September 5th, 2008: Saregama India Ltd, part of RPG Enterprises and India’s flagship music company, will host a music exhibition from the September 6th to 30th , 2008 at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly, the Prince of Wales Museum) . The legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar will inaugurate the exhibition that aims to take the visitors through the transformation of Indian music in the past 110 years .Commenting on this initiative, Harsh Goenka, Chairman RPG Enterprises said, “Saregama is extremely proud to be a driving force behind this exhibition- an effort to spread the immortal & rich music heritage that we house and we are happy to have the association of the city’s museum which offers an ideal setting. No music lover should miss it”.The month long exhibition, is a walk through the past few decades of Indian music. Right from the first machine to record sound – the rare Edison’s Phonograph to modern gadgets, the researched presentation is an era wise display of music, musicians and audio technology. Although, the mention of the words ‘history’ and ‘museum’ coming from a century old company brings out dull imagery, care has been exercised to design the entire exhibition with a highly engrossing feel. The aesthetic feel of the past is a beautiful part of the exhibition. There will be several “listening stations” where visitors can listen to historic recordings like the first ever song to be recorded, sung by Gahaur Jan and also the original recordings of great speeches by Mahatma Gandhi, Pt. Nehru and other national leaders. There is even nostalgic music from regional languages as well. Early period record players, record cutting machines, earliest microphones, coloured records and many other artefacts will also be on display.CSMVS Museum Director Mr Sabyasachi Mukherjee is looking forward to the exhibition’s opening. “It is a very unique exhibition and the Museum is happy to bring to life some of the most loved sounds and musical heritage of the country from the beginning of the recording era. I am sure it will be a big attraction”, said Mr Mukherjee.Karaoke and a recording studio will add flavour to the environment. It will enable the understanding of the recording experience where one can actually record and playback one’s own voice through different eras in recording. . Workshops on various forms of music will also be conducted on weekends by distinguished musicologists in the field. Prominent singers like Suresh Wadkar, Bhupendra Singh, Sonu Nigam & Kavita Krishnamoorthy will also be a part of the exhibition in the form of special interactive public meetings.To carry back memories of the exhibition, Saregama will be offering special exhibition commemorative CDs for sale at the venue at a special price. The exhibition is curated by Kushal Gopalka.The exhibition will also mark the launch of Pasand Meri, Geet Sathiyon ke- a handpicked collection of Lata Mangeshkar’s favourite tracks. Commenting on this elaborate display of culture and the extremely special occasion owing to the launch of her album, Lata Mangeshkar, says, “I have always liked to hear some of my own colleagues like Manna Dey, Mohd. Rafi and also amongst the new generation singers I like to listen to Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy. I am delighted that Saregama India Ltd has thought of this unique concept by releasing an album of my favourite tracks sung by some of my favourite singers.”The inaugural function, for special invitees only, is also marked by a music concert by the renowned vocalist Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj at the enchanting Key Gallery of the CSMVS museum.About Saregama: Saregama India Ltd, formerly known as 'The Gramophone Company of India Ltd., is India’s foremost music company and is a member of the RPG group. It is rapidly transforming into an entertainment company from being India's largest and best-known music company with a library of over 25000 hours of the best South Asian music. The Company has been intimately associated with the development of Indian music from the time the first recording was made on Indian soil. Saregama owns the largest music archives in India, one of the biggest in the world. It is now an emerging player in quality cinema, TV software, radio content, events and digital exploitation.
by Qamaal Mustafa Sikander