Qurate Books Sur Sangat (Paperback, Janardan Verlekar)

Mr. Janardan Verlekar has portrayed, with great warmth and respect, the personalities and life journeys of the musicians and artists whose music he experienced and savoured during his journey as a listener. When he meets the artists featured in this collection of essays, he does not display any pretension, borrowed intellectualism or try to assume the airs of a music scholar. When a performance by a great maestro, whether a vocalist or instrumentalist, leaves an impression on him, he expresses that experience honestly and in a few carefully chosen words. Yet, he never imposes his opinion on the reader or insists that they agree with him in any way. I have known Mr. Janardan Verlekar for a long time, and yet my experience has been that he never takes our familiarity for granted. He possesses the important quality of giving an artist their own space, a quality I find particularly admirable. I wholeheartedly congratulate the author for making a valuable contribution to the field of sensitive and appreciative literary writing on music. I hope he will continue with such endeavours in the future as well! — From the Preface