The world famous guitarist Benny Prasad did a show in our campus on December 12.
‘World famous Indian guitarist’ was probably a myth before Benny Prasad came into the scene. But it’s an irony that very few people in India know of this fellow countryman who has travelled to over 150 countries with his music. Shows at the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, a Ph. D for his self-designed guitar, a Limca record for being the most travelled musician – for a man with such achievements, he deserves a lot more attention.
His show at our campus was rather crisp and short. The music was soulful, melodious and went down well with the audience. My friend tells me that all the three pieces that he played are very popular Christian songs. I haven’t heard the originals but he played some beautiful hindustani sounding riffs in between; his composition skills were quite evident. As much as I liked his music, I didn’t find the style all that original. Tapping, Harmonics, percussions - someone like Justin King would probably do wonders with the guitar he was using.
The show was not just about his music. Benny Prasad shared with us the remarkable story of his life. Rejections in life, failures, diseases – he fought them all to get to the position he is in today. The Christmas message he had for us was quite touching – ‘Be happy for what you are’.
He brought with him, the same self-designed guitar as in the snap above. From the internet I came to know that it is called a ‘Bentar’. It’s probably a pun for Benny + Guitar. For such a lovely piece of art, he should given a sexier name. If Prof. Dumbledore were to design a bass guitar, he wouldn’t name it Dumbass, would he?
