Watch Indian classical ragas being sung in English and sounding sadly ridiculous
Musician Kiran Phatak aims to make Hindustani music universal.
Art should be ever-changing. And so, Kiran Phatak has been writing lyrics for Hindustani ragas in the English language for half a decade now. Finding music forms like rap, pop and rock too alien, he came to the conclusion that it was the language that prevented these forms from moving him.
He then decided that Indian music might be inaccessible to people around the world for exactly the same reason. And thus was born the IREL: Indian Raga English Lyrics.
Phatak studied English poetry, incorporated "modern" topics into his music and created a whole new version. In the video above, he not only croons about a pleasant atmosphere but also punctuates his singing with explanations and a spirited defence of his choice of language.
"Oh naughty Krishna tell me how I shall go?"
How, indeed.
