Introduction
Technological advancement has greatly facilitated cultural fusion worldwide. Cultural fusion is the fusion of two cultures in their attributes to result in a hybrid that contains the features of the both. It is not uncommon to find cultures incorporating the features of other cultures to result in a new hybrid culture. One such noticeable influence in case of cultures is the influence of the eastern or oriental music on the western or occidental music.
Since times immemorial, music has been considered a link between human and the Divine and that is why music is taken as the oldest and a confirmed form of healing. Various old cultures like Greeks, Chinese, East Indians, Tibetans, Egyptians and American Indians have recognized its
…show more content…
It is the first of many songs in which Harrison deals with Indian or more specifically, Hindu, spiritual concepts in his lyrics. This song can be called an altogether Indian composition as it has no Western influence. Harrison arranged the song with Indian musicians. The inspiration for the song came from Harrison’s regular exposure to the Indian music during his six-week stay in India with Ravi Shankar, who was his sitar Guru, during the September and October of 1966. Harrison later said that the tune for the song came about through his regularly performing musical exercises sargam, having the same scales as those found in ragas. Gerry Farrell (1997) said that Harrison had created a ‘new form’ with the song, calling the composition: ‘a quintessential fusion of pop and Indian music.’ The song was different from other compositions of Beatles as it pinpointed the Indian devotional tradition as well as indicated Harrison’s absorption in Hindu philosophy and the teachings of the Vedas, through its lyrics. Not just this, the album cover depicted Indian yogis such as Paramahansa Yogananda, Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya and Sri Yukteswar which further highlighted the growing influence of the Orient on