"Indian" Classical music on some Air-India flights

uday_shankar · Post by **uday_shankar** » 17 Nov 2007, 18:35

Back in mid-august I flew on one of the first few trips of the newly introduced non-stop Mumbai-New York Air-India flight in the brand new state of the art Boeing 777. Each seat in the economy section has its own touch screen LCD display, lots of movie selections in different languages, nice flight attendants, no problem with vegetarian food, etc. (of course software glitches were still being sorted out).

As always I flipped through the music selections and there were the usual scroll-through (for me) categories like bollywood, koolywood, pop, etc...

And then there was "Indian" classical...Here's menu under that section:

1. Afternoon ragas (Saarang/Teentaal, Patdeep/Matttal&Teental, Madhuvanti/Teentaal, Maand/Teental)
2. Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
3. Dusk Ragas
4. Essence of Rhythm
5. Evening Ragas
6. Farewell Friend - Ravi Shankar (tribute to George Harrison ?)
7. Golden Raaga - Ustad Bismillah Khan
8. Late Night Ragas
9. Maestros: Pt. Jasraj
10. Maestros: Pt. Bhimsen Joshi
11. Mestros: Ustad Amjad Ali Khan
12. Morning ragas
13. Raag Rageshri - Bhattacharya and Ghosh
14. Timeless Dhrupads - Gundecha Brothers

One doesn't need to point out what's missing in this comprehensive list of "Indian" classical music on Air India's flagship flight. So I provided the feedback to Air India at the end of the flight. Didn't expect anything to change by the time I returned to India on the same flight a month later and of course it hadn't.

It is doubtful if it will ever change unless enough people give them feedback. If anybody else is flying the NY-Mumbai (AI 140 and 141 I think) non-stop flights, please make a note and bring back with you the in flight magazine.

I'm trying out Jet Airways in the same segment soon, will report my (presumably dismal) findings here

.

Sundara Rajan · Post by **Sundara Rajan** » 17 Nov 2007, 21:37

I am not surprised in the least ! For northerners in power, India is HINDIA. When I traveled last by Delta/Air France from JFK to Chennai vis Paris, I was pleasantly surprised to hear all cabin announcements made in English, French and Tamil. Never in the past did I hear announcements in Tamil in Air India or earlier Indian Airlines flights to Chennai.

When former P.M. Atal Bihari Vajpai was in New York, he spoke in Hindi to the audience that included a few white Americans . Why this assumption that all Indians knew Hindi ? After all Vajpayi could speak in English . It is one thing to address the U.N. in Hindi, where simultaneous translation is available and it is different when Indians from various parts of the world are addressed. This is another instance of offical arrogance. They assume that Indian music means ONLY North Hindian music. To be fair, I should state the in some earlier Air India flights to India, I had the choice of a few Carnatic vocal & instrumental selections available. In recent years, I chose NOT to fly Indian Airlines.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 17 Nov 2007, 23:42

Since the language issue can flare up to be a major and contentious topic, let us restrict this thread to what Uday intended. Thanks.

Uday, nice work in bringing it to the Air India's attention. Can you or someone find out the right address or email id where such feedback can be given to Air India?

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 18 Nov 2007, 00:43

IMHO, the system of prescribing timings for singing certain Ragas has come about because of Court musicians who were required to be present from the time of waking up the King till he goes to bed. Have the timings any real relevance?

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 18 Nov 2007, 05:05

Sundara Rajan,
You are right. Years ago, I remember to have heard some CM ( MSS, Maharajapuram) on Air India flights. Like you, we have not traveled on AI for a long time. It is not a bad idea for travelers to ask for a survey questionaire, fill it in and add the suggestion that they offer CM music too for listening on board...

uday_shankar · Post by **uday_shankar** » 18 Nov 2007, 09:12

vk,

I believe they handed out some suggestion forms and collected them at the end of the flight.

The link below is where everybody else can give AI feedback. Please be sure to mention Flight nos. 140/141. This is the reason my title to this thread says some Air India flights. I am aware that other flights play lip service to Carnatic selections.

http://www.airindia.com/contactus.asp

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 18 Nov 2007, 10:00

Thanks Uday. I have submitted my feedback to them.

samanth · Post by **samanth** » 18 Nov 2007, 18:55

I flew Air India from Paris to New York in the middle of October and remember flipping through the schedule and seeing a list that definitely included a selection of Carnatic music. Any chance things have changed since August, then?

googoo · Post by **googoo** » 20 Nov 2007, 12:06

Who cares?

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 21 Nov 2007, 15:43

I am surprised at AI's omission. IA certainly play some carnatic as "elevator music" although they don't have in flight entertainment yet.

Jet has a decent selection of both CM and HM (and CM includes RK Srikantan too!). However the playlist rarely changes...Kingfisher OTOH doesn't bother with classical music of any variety