East Meets West Concert with Sarod Maestro Amjad Ali Khan, Bangash brothers and The Refugee Orchestra Project Enthrall

I.S. Saluja

UNITED NATIONS(TIP): UN Day  was celebrated at United Nations General Assembly Hall with a Concert, Oct 24. UN Day marks the anniversary of the coming into force in 1945 of the UN Charter.The dayhas been celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948.

Sarod Maestro Amjad Ali Khan, his  sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, and the Refugee Orchestra Project, with Lidiya Yankovskaya, conductor and Artistic Director, enthralled the audience with a memorable musical performance.

The theme of the Concert was “traditions of peace and non-violence”.

The program , meticulously crafted  by Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, hosts to the UN Day Concert, could not have offered a better fare.

Much before the time for the program to begin, the UNGA Hall was packed . Under Secretary-General for Global Communications Ms. Alison Smale welcomed the gathering and made introductory remarks.

UNGA  Secretary General  Mr. Antonio Guterres in his brief remarks wished all a happy UN day and spoke of aspirations and hopes of people across the world. He said there are  discriminations , human rights violations, women’s rights issues- and many more issues which need to be dealt with. He called upon the world to continue efforts to resolve the issues and urged people never to give up. “ Don’t give up”.

He recalled his recent visit to India where, he said, “I had the opportunity to pay respects to world’s greatest leader-Mahatma Gandhi”. He referred to Mahatma Gandhi’s message of peace and non-violence which he said, was the theme of UN Day celebrations this year.

The Secretary General thanked Ambassador Syed  Akbaruddin, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations  for supporting the concert.

He extended a word of welcome to performers.

A video message of President of the United Nations General Assembly Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces was played. In her message, the UNGA President said it was a day of celebration. Recalling  the great message of Mahatma Gandhi, she spoke of a need to prefer  dialogue over conflict. She spoke of empowerment of people of the whole world. “ Let us celebrate the Day with hope”, she said.

She thanked the Permanent Mission of India ( PMI) for supporting the  celebration.

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations,  Ambassador  Syed Akbaruddin.said, ”Every year on Oct 24 we celebrate in this common hall the coming in to being of the United Nations”. He said the UN Day concert is a celebration of common values of humanity.He spoke of the desire  of the people of the world for liberty and equality . He then quoted Rabindra Nath Tagore.

“Where the mind is without fear and the head held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action;

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”

Speaking about the Concert, Mr. Akbaruddin said, “Music uplifts. Music gives courage and hope. Music of India is indicative of our tradition”.

The Ambassador described Ustad Amjad Ali Khan as a charismatic musician with a long musical heritage . He welcomed the performers who included, besides Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, his two sons, Amaan Ali Bangash, Ayaan Ali Bangash, and The Refugee Orchestra Project, conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya.

In his remarks, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan recalled the concert on October 2, 2018, to mark the 150^thbirth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, in New Delhi where he had performed, and said it was a pleasure and honor to be associated with the celebrations. He referred to the presence at the concert of President  of India, Ramnath Kovind , and of Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India.

Speaking about music, the maestro said, “music is universal and unifying”.

As part of tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons played the favorite bhajans of Mahatma Gandhi, which included, Vaisnav Jan… and a Ram Dhun which was very dear to Gandhi.

Next came Samaagam-a confluence of the East and the  West. It was a Sarod concerto.  The Refugee Orchestra Project conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya and the Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan with his sons and the table player cast a magic spell. Their music sent the audience in to a trance. The 90-minute concert was an experience to be savored and treasured.