Zubin Mehta’s Ehsaas-e-Kashmir

The Ehsaas-e-Kashmir,a 50 crore,90 minute,Zubin Mehta concert is to be held on 7 September at the Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar .What a great birthday treat for yours truly!

It will feature the 100-member Bayerische Staatsorchester, the symphonic orchestra from Munich.

The show is being organised by the German embassy in Delhi.The show will be beamed live to TV and radio channels in India and Europe.

The highlight of the concert is a Kashmiri composition that Mehta will begin the show with. Kashmiri composer Bajan Sopori and his son, Abhay Rustum, have worked on the item. The have composed a piece that is a mélange of melodies and Sufiana, and is representative of Kashmiri’s culture and ethos.Some Kashmiri music instruments are possibly being used for the composition and about 26 local artistes will be part of the Kashmir segment.

Mehta has been keen to perform in Kashmir for some years now. In 2007, Mehta had requested pharmacy major Cipla, the promoters, and one of their family members had approached the Kashmir government. However, it could not take off for the lack of interest in the state at the time,Later when the idea was broached to Michael Steiner, the German ambassador in Delhi, he took the initiative.The ministry of home affairs rejected the idea twice and took at least three months in approving it later.Once approved, the governments in Srinagar and Delhi have worked in unison to organize this show.