M-U-S-I-C : "The Way to Reach Divinity"

Playing for Change has brought forward another amazing musical performance, this time a three-minute video featuring Rajhesh Vaidhya, a musician living in southern India. Rajhesh is a master of the veena, a large stringed instrument of the sitar family. When he plays, his music is a delight to the ears, and the tremendous skill of his strong, nimble fingers, not to mention his obvious joy in music-making, is a delight to the eyes.

Rajhesh Vaidhya is a renowned musician in India, but now his reputation has spread to musical stages in Europe, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada and the United States, among other places. He is one of the most intriguing and technically beguiling artists within the veena instrumental tradition and the larger south Indian musical tradition. He is known for the blistering speed at which he can play, as well as his creative use of electric and amplified strings.

"Music," Rajhesh asserts, is "the way to reach divinity." He uses the word music as an acronym for the essential elements of human life: "M stands for morality. U stands for universality. S stands for spirituality. I stands for individuality. C stands for creativity. MUSIC!"

MUSIC indeed. Ready to practice, anyone?



If for some reason you can't see the viewer above, please click here to watch the video.