“Today, mimicking something perfectly is regarded as genius. The standard for a genius is much higher. True genius is defined by the longevity of it. Simple things with a human insight always stand the test of time,” said Anil Srinivasan, the world-renowned classical pianist, at the ‘Face to Face’ event conducted by the GRD School of Commerce and International Business and the GRD Institute of Management on Saturday.

Earlier, the pianist played the famous ‘Twinkle-twinkle little star’ and its variations composed by Mozart (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) in combination with film songs. “Any song in the world can be combined with twinkle-twinkle. Mozart composed it when he was 12,” Anil said.

“The purpose of music is not just entertainment. It’s much more than that. It can increase your concentration; it can keep 80% of your brain creatively occupied. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a musician himself, once said that a child who is trained in classical music will do 20% better in life. Albert Einstein was a musician. He applied a concept of music to arrive at the theory of relativity,” he explained.

“The brain gets activated when you listen to rhythmic music. The word rhythm comes from the Sanskrit word Hrith, which means cycle. That way, music helps a lot in learning and improving cognitive abilities,” Anil said.

“Another important thing is presentations. If I just play a tune, it won’t stand in your mind for a long time. But when I add some chords and beats to it, it sounds better and appealing,” he said as he played a few samples.

After the lecture, Anil Srinivasan played the audience request songs and answered their questions. When asked about three qualities that every musician must have, he said “Persistence, hard work and being street smart.”