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Indian Classical Music may Help Heal Wounds of Afghan Society

by Kathy Jones on Sep 1 2012 3:15 PM

 Indian Classical Music may Help Heal Wounds of Afghan Society
Indian classical music can help heal the wounds of the war-ravaged Afghan society according to an Afghan student, Vahidullah Sagar who revealed that both Indian and Afghani music are very similar.
Sagar is studying music at Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth in Lucknow.

"Indian classical music has a deep relationship with Afghan music. Technically they can't be described as different," Sagar said.

"The ragas and khayals are the same; the only difference lies in the gharanas. Like in India there is Gwalior gharana and Patiala gharana, and likewise in Afghanistan the way a song is sung is a bit different, otherwise they are all the same," h e added.

"Because India is a very good place to learn music, and in our country the opportunities to learn music are very limited, that's why I felt to come here and learn Indian classical music thoroughly,'' said Sagar.

Sagar considers himself to be fortunate to get an opportunity to learn Indian classical music.

He wants to share this knowledge with his compatriots in Afghanistan and teach music at the Kabul University.

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"My aim is to teach the young generation of Afghanistan. Not everybody gets an opportunity to come to India. So that's why I am thinking that once my PHD is complete, and I overcome all my deficiencies in terms of the knowledge of music, I will return to Afghanistan, join Kabul university and teach the students there,'' said Sagar.

His visit to India was made possible due to the efforts of the Indian Council for Cultural Research.

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In an effort to promote cultural interaction between students of different countries, the ICCR encourages formal meetings of students of different countries.

"It's true that many foreign students come to our institute. They come from Sri Lanka, Nepal, and he has come from Afghanistan," said Jayant Khot, a music teacher at the Bhatkhande Music Institute.

"For the last three to four years, he has been here. By sending students here and introducing them to our culture, and their culture to our students, ICCR is doing a commendable job. I think these efforts should happen regularly because frequent interaction with people of different cultures makes a person more tolerant. This can help in reducing violence and bloodshed in the society,'' added Khot.

Music knows no boundaries, and it can also heal the wounds of the society. This is the message that Vahidullah Sagar wants to send out to the world.

Source-ANI


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