I'm told that Maestro Vilayat Khan nicknamed Fusion music "Confusion", and remember reading an interview where he challenged musicians to bridge the North South divide first before trying to blend in Western classical music with Hindustani music.
Fusion music exists all around us. Hindi film music is largely fusion music (ignoring the last 5 years, where Hindi film music is basically R&B, Hip-hop and completely Indian content free). It is also now the province of "besura" (out of tune) singers supported by ProTools - but that's another topic.
Great composers and arrangers blended in the string orchestra, (notably violin) with the dhol, tabla and sitar. The lead song and tune remained "indian" - the accompaniment was western. Even Ustad Ali Akbar Khan had guitar and tabla accompany him. The guitar accompanies most ghazal singers.
So, if western instruments are used for harmony, we tend to like the end product. In case where both styles are blended, they are often are not that popular. The music of leading groups like Shakti were an exercise in showcasing individual skills - the styles were never blended together entirely. Dr. Subramaniam's incomparable violin skills often bridged the gap, but it was "assembled" music with distinct western and indian sections - not a new form of music. So fusion music is probably better described as jam sessions. And, in the absence of a proper body of work behind it, it works well as a spectacle (tamasha) rather than something which touches your heart, so can hardly be called a style of music.
The pity is that talented musicians are forced to perform "Fusion" to get concerts and bookings overseas.
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