The Shankars

An Amazing day. I don’t use that adjective lightly here, it was an amazing day but then, it was always going to be a day for superrelatives. (not a spelling mistake, trust me!)

I woke with a start, after having had a dream in which I literally drew my last breath. In the dream, I remember lying down somewhere and then letting out an almighty exhalation of breath, conscious of it being my last and with a sense of being resigned to the inevitable but also with a sense of relief… ooooerrr!

I decided to sort out the MOT on my car and took it to the garage where after an interminable wait they finally tested it and then promptly failed it. (Arggghhhhh!) I now have the dilema of choosing either to scrap a car I’ve grown very fond of and get a ‘new’ old banger or pay for repairs that will cost twice it’s value. Love or an easy life… it always boils down to that choice. It’s almost like Neo’s predicament in Matrix Re-loaded… well maybe not.

Luckily, I had a distraction planned for the evening that would take my mind off the fate of my beloved chariot of (mis)fire – a concert at the Birmingham Symphony Hall, the Full Circle Tour – Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar.

Whoah! what a distraction… I won’t review it, (cursed as I am with the musical vocabulary of a tone deaf but enthusiastic organ grinder’s monkey), but will say that it was mind blowing.

Actually there’s just Norah to go now and I’ll have a full set of Shankar concert memories. Okay, strictly speaking Norah Jones isn’t a Shankar and would probably not appreciate being referenced as one but she’s hardly likely to be reading this, is she? so, nah nah nah nah nah. Anyway, years ago I was at the Rocket Club on Holloway Road where I saw Ananda Shankar do his thing. It was Electric! A small venue with a highly charged up crowd – concerts should all be like that. Except, of course, when they feature Ravi Shankar, (truly, we are not worthy), and Anoushka Shankar, (I won’t mention how beautiful she is since I don’t want to take anything away from her incredible talent… doh!). A lesser venue than the superb Birmingham Symphony Hall would not have done justice to the presence of a musical god and his daughter.

I know, it’s all very sycophantic but I don’t care. It was my sister Pam who bought the tickets, so thanks to her I had an amazing day. (superrelatives … the Jabbars … the Shankars … geddit? … Oh! please yourself then.)

Complementing Teachers

Just finished talking to Nicola, a friend of mine who works at the Runnymede Trust. She did a sterling job of editing a publication, ‘Complementing Teachers’ which describes itself as ‘A Practical Guide to Promoting Race Equality in Schools’.

The press release for the book says:

With pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds now forming 11% of the student population, the book will give teachers practical strategies for raising the awareness of different cultures in the classroom.

and

…also provides strategies for less diverse schools who have a duty under the Act [Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 - ed.] to promote race equality and nurture respect for the different cultures that exist in wider society.

which is then followed by a comment by the Director of The Runnymede Trust,

“Every Pupil should be helped to develop a sense of personal and cultural identity and to study in an environment that is respectful towards other identities. Complementing Teachers is a practical resource to help teachers raise the achievement of all pupils by developing the right environment for students of all ethnic groups to learn and ensuring that all cultures are represented equally in the curriculum.”

So now that you know, go get a copy.

(On a personal note, I once went to the Director’s birthday party, as Nicola’s guest, and have to say that Michelynn [the director] has a lovely house and grows the most fragrant roses I’ve ever sniffed in any garden in the Docklands. Okay, they’re the only roses I’ve ever thrust my nose at in the Docklands but I’m sure that they’re amongst the best there. Not that my recollections of the party are all that clear, apparently, during the course of the evening I destroyed her cats’ feeding bowls and tried to chat up one of her friends. This would have been fair enough, except that it was, rather unfortunately, in front of the said friend’s husband. I’m reliably informed that I rounded off the evening by falling down the stairs … or was I pushed?!).

Anyway, this undoubtedly useful resource costs just ??30 (plus VAT) and can be ordered from Granada Learning.

Akram Khan

I saw a South Bank Show about Akram Khan a few months ago and have been meaning to go and see him in performance ever since.

This is the one drawback of living outside of London, the opportunity to see performers of his calibre. Actually Khan has performed outside of London but unless you’re a subscriber to a venue’s mailing list or a relevant publication there isn’t much chance of knowing what’s going on. Besides the performance runs don’t last very long out here in the sticks.

It’s not that I’m a great fan of modern dance but I want to see Khan for chauvinistic reasons – he’s a British born Bangladeshi and is wowing the British contemporary dance scene.

His profile on londondance.com states that he blends the Khatak dance style of Northern India with western contemporary styles but it’s his collaboration with other British Asian artists that particularly interests me,

His first full length production Kaash, a collaboration with world renowned sculptor Anish Kapoor and multi award winning composer Nitin Sawhney was premiered in May this year …

Actually, Kaash toured last year… of course I missed it! anyway, the magnitude of this collaboration can not be overestimated, Anish Kapoor is a brilliant artist in his own right and, although born in Mumbai, has lived and worked in Britain since the 70′s, (I’m claiming him as British anyway!). A Guardian interview with Nitin Sawhney reveals that this gifted musician, with Sanjeev Bhaskar, came up with the idea that eventually led to the ever watchable Goodness Gracious Me.

I’m reminded of the very first TV programme I ever watched that featured Asians in the British context. It used to air on Sunday, (or maybe Saturday), mornings, on the BBC during the 70′s and had Asian presenters delivering the weeks news in Urdu and often featured Asian artists. It was called – Naya Zindagi, Naya Jeevan – which Asian Dub Foundation translate as New Way, New Life

Akram Khan may give an encore performance of Kaash at the Royal Festival Hall this December. [Note to self - Be there!]

Cricket

The cricket season has well and truly begun – a controversial Test match, (what other type is there?), is playing at Lords and the joyous news that Waqar joins Warwickshire.

It’s funny, I watched the FA Cup final on Saturday but didn’t find it that interesting, I’d watched some of the World Snooker Championship finals a week before but again wasn’t exactly riveted by the action. Both events would have had me totally engrossed in the past but no longer.

However, Cricket is different. A sport that can be played for five whole days and the result can still end up in an exciting draw! – on the face of it a poor match with our high-speed and ‘win at all cost’ society. A sport where everyone, (at least in the Test Match version), wears the same colours. Where you stop playing twice a day, to have lunch and take tea. Where the captain of the English team was born in India, of Muslim parents.

Yes, I’m still enamoured of cricket – it’s … it’s … well… it’s just Cricket!

(Shame that Bangladesh is so crap at it!)

[Update: diamond geezer felt differently ... Hrmphh!]

On the Waterfront

Have you ever heard of the Stevedoring Services of America (SSA)? No, well chances are that you’ve heard of their activities indirectly because one way or another they’re a major world player.

Cast your mind back to last year and you may remember vague reports in the ‘oh so not interested’ news media about a little dispute between the port operators, (with eventually, George Bush) and California’s longshoremen in the west coast port lockout saga. Then, after the other, somewhat better reported, dispute between George Bush and Iraq, there was the little affair of Umm Qasr. Where, despite the greedy protestations of Britain’s P&O company, SSA won a $4.8m contract to rebuild Umm Qasr’s port, for humanitarian reasons… of course!

Well, SSA seem to be hell bent on world domination, (at least in ter