IME

Clockwise: 1. Performance at the Grand Launch of IME 2. Shri S M Krishna, Former Minister of External Affairs, Sri Sadananda Gowda, Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Tabla Maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain, Jazz legend Louiz Banks, Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum, Robert Santelli and M R Jaishankar did the honours of cutting the ribbon. 3. Tabla Maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain handing over his tabla to the museum after his performance.

The Indian Music Experience (IME) was launched with much pomp and fanfare. The evening was graced by many prominent personalities of Bengaluru and other parts of India. Speaking at the occasion, M R Jaishankar, Founder IME, said “It took a long time and a lot of effort to set up this world-class museum and art centre in India. We are certain that IME will grow to become a pre-eminent art hub of the country that will preserve and propagate India’s heritage”.

An outstanding musical confluence by the Tabla Maestro, Ustad Zakir Hussain and Jazz legend Louiz Banks brought the evening alive. The maestros were joined by other stellar musicians such as the violin virtuoso Kumaresh, Gino Banks, Sanjay Divecha and Sheldon D’silva who worked their magic to enthrall the large audience. This full house, vibrant concert was attended by over 2,800 people.

The highlight of the event was when Ustad Zakir Hussain donated his set of Tabla to the museum’s collection. This was received by the Museum Director Manasi Prasad and the Director Outreach Dr. Suma Sudhindra.

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Encouragement and comments from esteemed IME visitors

I was really surprised to know that this is a one-of-a-kind Museum in the country! The tour of the Museum also brought several nostalgic memories of the countless number of concerts that I have attended in England and here in India.

Prof. B K Chandrashekar
Former Education Minister of Karnataka

Amazing space…. finally a documentation of music, in a way it should be - there is information at your fingertips in a way that you can actually understand it, and interact with it to learn more about our musical heritage. In fact, there were some artists in some galleries that even I hadn’t heard of before…. Of course there is always room for improvement, but this is a great start!

Ustad Zakir Hussain
Tabla Maestro

“This experiential music Museum has given us a wonderful experience because we have seen the amalgamation of science and music. We could ourselves discover many aspects of science that are an integral part of music. I’m thrilled to see how the Museum is planned. Visiting this Museum can bring back lot of memories and enlighten us with the knowledge of music. It will go a long way in making people interested in music.”

K G Kumar
Director, Visvesvaraya Museum

The conception of this educational Museum, gives one and all a glimpse of the genres of performance, along with historical facts, which is really commendable. It far exceeds the quality of presentation at the EMP in Seattle, which is something I am familiar with. I wish you much success and hope you will continue this good work.

Prof. Ramesh Gangolli
Professor Emeritus, University of Washington
(A renowned mathematician & musician)

I am swinging with joy today. I am so happy to see this museum in Bengaluru. I have not seen such a beautiful Museum in the world! I am elated to see Binaca Geetmala and myself featured in the Museum. It was one of the most popular radio shows and enjoyed a large active listenership.

Ameen Sayani
Radio Announcer, Binaca Geetmala

It is absolutely fantastic to be here, much beyond what I had thought it would be… unimaginable and absolutely phenomenal experience.

Anuj Puri 
Chairperson, Anarock Group