Live the, music

The idea of having 50,000sq.ft of space dedicated to music is like a dream come true for each one of us who loves music. The Centre for Indian Music Experience (IME)  then is that idea taking concrete shape even as you are reading this story. And because a crucial part of bringing the endeavour to life is her responsibility, the project has classical singer Manasi Prasad gunning on all her wheels, excited, nervous and full of hope. 

“As the name suggests, the Centre for Indian Music Experience is a place dedicated to appreciation of Indian music in all its facets,” opens Manasi Prasad, adding, “You may also view it as a centre where people can participate in making music.” She takes care to point out however that, “while IME is a music museum, I don’t want people wrongly associating it with the stereotypical images they generally have of a museum — of it being staid, dusty and boring.” “Today, museums the world over, have become places associated with education and enrichment. On a similar vein, you may view IME as an interesting, fun-filled place to engage with music,” explains Manasi.

Verily why, “unlike your regular museum where you are not allowed to touch anything, at IME, you are encouraged to touch everything. We are putting the visitor at the centre of the experience. The idea is to allow people to have fun with music,” states Manasi. 

That, we learn, will be done through the different components that constitute the museum. “The centre has three distinct segments — the multimedia exhibit area, the sound garden and the learning centre,” she elaborates (refer box).

Divulging details of the museum’s current status, Manasi says, “the building is ready and we are in the process of working on the exhibits.” “We are looking to open next year,” she says, and while that is glad news, we put forth one last question — what makes Bangalore the ideal place for a venture as dynamic as IME and Manasi enthuses, “It’s a combination of things really. Bangalore is one city that has an audience for every genre of music, which is precisely why initiatives such as these find audiences.

Then there’s the fact that museums rely heavily on technology and the city provides the ideal ambience required in terms of artistes and technical talent required. Most importantly, the city is a melting pot. Where other cities like Chennai are comfortable with their musical identities so that they don’t feel the need to do something extra, Bangalore has a restless energy. A lot of interesting stuff is always happening here.”

An overview of IME
Multimedia Exhibit Area: This section will have eight galleries —equipped with photos, audio kiosks, music memorabilia, artefacts et al—spread over two floors.

The idea is to enable the visitor with an interactive experience. There’s the Gallery of Diversity where you can listen to all representations of Indian music, from folk to film to contemporary. The Gallery of Musical Conversations will focus on music collaborations/ jugalbandis/ fusion music.

There’s a gallery dedicated to International music that has influenced Indian music and vice versa. The idea is to highlight how India as a country shares a strong musical culture with countries the world over. There’s a gallery that is dedicated to 100 years of the Indian recording industry right from the time of LPs to cassettes to CDs. The Gallery of the Individual is dedicated to iconic figures in Indian Music. From legendary classical musicians like Bhimsen Joshi to music composer A R Rahman, every musician who’s left an indelible mark will be represented here.

“The idea is to inspire visitors to think that they can be successful too,” offers Manasi. Besides the galleries, there is going to be an interactive room where people can play music and jam on electronically stimulated music instruments.

And then there’s a booth that’s been designed with the idea to give a visitor a firsthand experience of auditioning for a music reality show. An entire gallery is also being dedicated to musical instruments and will have 250 instruments on display.

SOUND GARDEN: The second component of IME, the idea behind Sound Garden is to introduce really young children to sounds through an array of instruments such as jugular bells, wind chimes and singing stones.  

LEARNING CENTRE: The learning centre, already functional, comprises classrooms and a music hall. “We are looking to engage in and launch outreach programmes in various schools. The idea here is to ignite a spark in the kids for music,” Manasi explains. A 100-seater mini theatre will be added where films  on music and baithaks will be held.