Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday wished Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong success in his endeavour to learn the sitar, and hoped his passion for the plucked stringed instrument would continue to grow and inspire others.
Mr Modi posted on X that India’s musical history is a symphony of diversity that echoes through rhythms that have evolved over millennia.
DPM Wong, who is a guitar enthusiast and has often shared videos of himself playing the instrument, had on Deepavali day posted a video of himself learning to play the sitar.
Reacting to Mr Wong’s video, PM Modi wrote on X: “May your passion for the sitar continue to grow and inspire others. Best wishes on this melodious endeavour.”
In the video, Mr Wong expressed gratitude to his instructor Ramakrishnan Karthigayan’s patient guidance in teaching him the basic techniques of playing the sitar.
He says Mr Karthigayan taught him the history of the instrument and that the sitar is a duality of two other instruments – rudra veena and seha taar.
The instructor also taught Mr Wong how to sit and hold the instrument properly, and got him to play the basic notes “ni”, “sa” and “ri”.
DPM Wong says in the video: “Hi, everyone. I am here with Mr Karthik today and he is going to teach me how to play the sitar.
“Getting a quick intro to the beautiful tunes of the sitar. Karthigayan here has been learning for a while, and he has been very patient in guiding me through the basic techniques.
“Enjoyed the experience, and the chance to learn more about the rich classical Indian music heritage!”
DPM Wong on Sunday also extended Deepavali wishes in Tamil: “Iniya Deepavali Valthukkal.”
Netizens were impressed with DPM Wong’s efforts to learn the sitar.
One wrote on X: “May the strings of your sitar weave a tapestry of timeless melodies, echoing the rich diversity of India’s musical heritage. Your passion is an inspiration to all. Best wishes on this melodious journey.”
Another wrote: “Lovely attempt. So good to see you’re trying a tough instrument that requires much more practice and focus than a guitar. Way to go!”
Mr Karthigayan, a 40-year-old manager at National Health Care Group, has been learning to play the sitar for 10 years. He said he enjoyed the session with DPM Wong.
“I was happy to share the little I know about the sitar,” he told tabla!. “Glad the experience was pleasing to many.
“Being Singaporean to me is about having multiple identities at the same time, and it is important to understand ourselves as well as build bridges across cultures to learn and celebrate one another.”
Indo-Asian News Service
