Soulful songs of the Sufi
Language is no barrier for Kailash Kher’s international audience. They connect to the rhythm and devotion
Photo: V.V. KrishnanSPEAKING THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE Of love and devotion
K ailash Kher admits he isn’t perfect in English. But again, only the mind needs a formal language; the sublime and devotional flavour of Kailash’s songs appeal to the soul.
As Kailash Kher enters the sit-out of his luxury suite at a city hotel, he looks quite the absent-minded professor with his unruly hair, T-shirt, soft handshake and unassuming tone. However as we all know, the “Allah ke bande” man is a Sufi yogi who has successfully taken Indian Sufi to the world.
At the Hollywood Bowl
“We recently released our first album, ‘Yatra’ internationally. I have been spending a considerable amount of time promoting the album and doing concerts around it in India and US,” says Kailash, updating us on his busy schedule.
During the US tour, Kailash’s group, Kailasa became the first Asian band to have performed at the Hollywood Bowl.
The Hollywood Bowl has been host to legendary bands such as The Beatles and Cold Play. Kailash can’t contain the child-like sparkle in his eyes, as he talks of performing in such a space.
“Indian audiences connect instantly with my songs, as they understand the language. But one thing really inspiring about western audiences is that they connect with the rhythm and devotion of my songs, despite being unable to understand the language. They just live the moment during performances.”
Kailash lets out a guffaw and shares: “During one of my performances in the US, in an attempt to speak English, I happened to cheer the crowd, saying, ‘Come on shake your booty!’ Even before I could realize it was a faux pass, a middle-aged lady was dancing away, literally shaking her ‘booty’, it was an endearing and embarrassing experience.”
Going down memory lane, Kailaish says: “Despite the oddities, I was…More
