What Is Art Without A Frame?

Imagine this: You are rushing towards your office on a Monday morning with meetings in your mind. You hear mellifluous tunes coming from the street corner, would you care to stop, appreciate and possibly contribute a few rupees to his earnings? In all probability, No. However melodious the music might be to your ears, I don’t think anybody today has the time to spare for such trivialities of life such as street musicians. Right?
But what if you came to know it was actually Mandolin Srinivasan or A.R Rahman actually at the road bend? Ah! Now things are different, isn’t it?

Nope, I haven't gone bonkers. This was exactly what happened couple of months ago when Washington Post journo Gene Weingarten set out to discover if famous violinist Joshua Bell -- and his Stradivarius -- could stop busy commuters in their tracks.

This is what happened: On Friday, January 12, 2007 renowned violinist Joshua Bell performed six classical pieces in 43 minutes to 1,097 people at the L'Enfant Plaza Station standing next to trash basket. He collected $32.17 with just one person recognising him. The story in detail here

So much for the name and fame that people scamper after.

To be noted is that nearly 20 years ago, Bruce Springsteen did a similar thing in Copenhagen, where he joined a street musician to perform "The River." Not many people noticed him, either.

Things haven't changed much in all these years. So if you are one of those geniuses waiting to be discovered, wakeup and get yourself a good PR agency.