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Song of the sea

It was a treat to listen to the Indian Naval Band at Mangalore on the occasion of Navy Day celebrations

HUGE SWEEP The band plays a wide range of music, from Indian classical to jazz fusion

Members of the Indian Naval Band, on the occasion of Navy Day celebrations, presented a mesmerising display of music for over two hours at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centenary hall of the New Mangalore Port Trust. The 41-member band was headed by Lieutenant Sathish Champion.

Many shows

Captain Sunny George, Director of Music, Indian Navy, says the Naval band performs for jawans in forward areas every year. "In Mumbai, the musicians show their care for the needy by presenting music at old age homes and orphanages. They bring new meaning to the way we perceive the men in uniform."

Captain George notes that the band has a wide variety of music in its repertoire — martial music, western classical, solos, duets, light popular, jazz-fusion, big band rock and Indian ragas that suit different moods. The band, under his stint, has for the first time in the history of military bands, seen a full-fledged string section.

The Navy's premier band was first commissioned in 1945 featuring a team of 50 musicians under the baton of a British officer. Today, there are 11 Naval bands across the country. The Central Band of the Indian Navy comprises 145 musicians and is stationed on the INS Kunjali, Mumbai. The Naval Central Symphonic Band was transformed in course of time into The Naval Central Symphonic Orchestra with the inclusion of 42 string instruments including violins, violas, cellos and string basses. Indian traditional instruments too came in gradually — tabla, mridanga, sitar, along with the orchestra in stage performances to produce a harmonious blend of East and West.

The Naval band has toured 27 countries under Captain George's baton and has done India proud by participating in the bi-centennial celebrations of the Statue of Liberty in New York and the International Fleet Review at Malaysia, and by presenting nine concerts in the U.K. for raising funds for the Cheshire Home for War Widows. The band has also performed extensively all over India.

Recruiting musicians

The Naval Symphonic Orchestra is stationed in Mumbai on INS Kunjali, where the Naval School of Music is also situated.

The school recruits young talents from all parts of India in April/May every year through newspaper advertisements and trains them for one year in music — both practice and theory.

When students pass out from the school, they are ready to be posted to different naval bands in the country. Some of them join the prestigious Naval Central Symphonic Orchestra and some are provided opportunities to train abroad.

JAIDEEP SHENOY

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