Ravi Shankar was born in India in 1920 and came to prominence just as India gained independence from Britain in 1947. He was initially a dancer and then a virtuoso sitarist and composer, and became famous internationally because of his collaborations with Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison and the Beatles.
Bobby Seagull's parents came from Kerala, and while ... Show More
Jun 30
Sir Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana
Seretse Khama was born in 1921 in Bechuanaland when it was still a British Protectorate. In 1966 he became Botswana's first president. In between he married a white Londoner, Ruth Williamson, was exiled by the British, and made to renounce his interest in succeeding as head of th ... Show More
27m 43s
Oct 2023
We are not normal with Anoushka Shankar, Arooj Aftab, Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Nadine Shah
Anoushka Shankar, Arooj Aftab, Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Nadine Shah talk about the role of spirituality in their music, what their sound gives the audience, and share thoughts on being women of colour in the music industry.Born in the UK, Anoushka Shankar spent her younger years in L ... Show More
34m 8s
Apr 2021
Rabindranath Tagore: The Bard of Bengal
So prodigious was the polymath Rabindranath Tagore, there’s a saying in Bengal that one lifetime is not enough to consume all of his work. Poet, playwright, thinker, activist, educator, social reformer, composer, artist… the list of his talents is long. Today his name is known al ... Show More
39m 33s
Mar 2024
The time machine of tradition with Brìghde Chaimbeul, Sam Amidon, Linda Buckley and Rhodri Davies
Brìghde Chaimbeul, Rhodri Davies, Sam Amidon and Linda Buckley discuss the roles of tradition and place in music, and what they might think about when performing.Brìghde Chaimbeul is a Gaelic musician, composer and bagpipe player. Her music stems from traditional Gaelic material, ... Show More
31m 36s
Jul 2023
You don't have to fit the mould, with Rara Sekar, Sandrayati, Ugoran Prasad and Rully Shabara
Indonesian musicians Rara Sekar, Sandrayati, Ugoran Prasad and Rully Shabara discuss music and social change, trying to thrive as musicians in the age of social media, and whether or not all musicians have an equal opportunity to succeed. Rara Sekar's career in music began as the ... Show More
33m 6s
Feb 2020
Playing to people who don't look like you with Sarathy Korwar, Damien Escobar, Fehdah and Osman Gerein
Music Life is led this week by percussionist and producer Sarathy Korwar. He was born in the US and grew up in Ahmedabad and Chennai in India, and began playing tabla at the age of 10. His album More Arriving was released last year; featuring rappers from Mumbai and New Delhi, it ... Show More
27m 38s