Bangalore: "That was cool," remarked an old woman in the audience — Kanjeevaram sari, diamond earrings — after the power point presentation at the launch of "Voices Within," the book on seven legendary Carnatic musicians.

The book and its launch did knock down many stereotypes, beginning with the old woman's remark.

Why can't there be an absolutely stylish coffee table book on our traditional musicians with tuft and caste markers on forehead?

If there can be one on Indira Gandhi or John F. Kennedy, there sure can be one on our great maestros who are as iconic, argue Bombay Jayashri and T.M. Krishna, extremely gifted musicians of our times, who also make their foray as authors with the book.

"Voices Within" captures the life and music of seven musicians — Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, T.N. Rajarathnam Pillai, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Palghat Mani Iyer, G.N. Balasubramanium and T.R. Mahalingam — through extraordinary pictures collected from various archives and family albums, and through the perceptions of the two musician authors.

The highlight of the evening was the outstanding concert by Ms. Jayashri and Mr. Krishna, which they called "a homage, a salute to musicians," who were responsible in shaping perception, consciousness and music of an entire generation.

The concert took the audience through seven remarkable pieces, individual favourites of these savants of music. Semmangudi's best, "Deva Deva Kalayamite," the Mayamalavagoula kriti, and Rajarathnam Pillai's most preferred Todi raga ("Ninne Nammi Naanu") were at once emotional and spiritual.

The dawdling pace, long passages of silence, many layers of interpretation, torrential-technical segments, stunned the audience into speechlessness. "Ranga Puravihara," a song synonymous with M.S., was a stirring rendition.

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