It is hard to take something that is iconic and make it better. I discovered the fantastic cover of “We Are the World” by Chinlung Chhuak Artists, a collective from Myanmar: and what a cover it is! The singing is fabulous, bringing back memories of the original, and then an already great song is taken to another level with some fantastic rap verses that capture the mood of the song perfectly. I’ve been watching this video every day since I found — it can improve the most dreary of days!
My other music discovery from the week that makes me so happy are “The Milk Carton Kids”, an indie folk duo who sound like worthy successors to Simon & Garfunkel. Two voices in harmony, two guitars, and beautiful songwriting: do you need anything else? Fabulous fabulous music.
The third discovery from the week gone by is as different from the previous two as could be: classical music by Bach! Thibault Cauvin, the exceptional classical guitarist, sets Bach (who is typically played on piano or cello) to the guitar. This is a fantastic album, and the first piece Toccata and Fugue in D minor is outstanding on the guitar. Must listen!
What else?
I was on the road this week: Mumbai from Tuesday to Thursday, and Noida on Friday.
I visited the Shiv Nadar University in Noida on Friday to speak with the incoming class of MBA students. It is a beautiful, large campus (with excellent sports facilities), and I loved the energy, enthusiasm, and great questions from the students. This particular sculpture on campus caught my attention — an elephant made from electronic waste. I thought it was pretty cool!
After my talk, I had a long drive back to the New Delhi Airport: where I found out about CrowdStrike/Microsoft and had to brave long lines, the uncertainty of cancellation, and finally a very delayed take-off for my flight back to Bangalore 😤
The good news is that I had brought my Kindle along, and I read large parts of “A System for Writing” by Bob Doto, which is very good so far. I’ll probably review the book in a few weeks here.
Anyway, that’s it for now — and till next week, keep vibing to the music!