40 Days’ is a witnessing of artist development, and a study of sound and being. Not as we know it but through a disciplined practice of perfection and simplicity, essentially sterilising a space and time from influences to focus on the pearls of wisdom from within and generated from the ancient practice of raga music.
With a subject [Aarti Jadu], a teacher [Vinod Prasanna] and a graduate of neuroscience and musicology [Xan Coppinger], this project is a podcast and diagrammatic documentary analysing and studying the idea of PRACTICE, Hindustani musician and teacher, Vinod Prasanna’s famous word.
The discussion is pregnant with ideas around habits, decolonisation, sound, and spirituality through the use of observation and embodied practice, hallmarks of yogic and mindful practices.
The 40 days is an ode to the practice of ‘Chilla’ where a musician or bhakt submits themselves to isolation to “download” information and wisdom from their own bodies through practice of meditation or dedication to their craft, originating from Sufism. Timely to be explored during and after “iso”, Aarti extends her time indoors and alone to explore the benefits of solitude with a steady devotional practice.
‘40 days’ is the sequel to ‘21 days’, a documentation of observing Vinod Prasanna’s daily thoughts and practices.