The Hindu : Audience rendered speechless

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 10, 2003

National

National

Audience rendered speechless

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI JAN. 9. Notes, not words, set the tone for the mega Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. As the two Bharat Ratnas sat in "jugalbandi" for the first time ever, the Divas came alive for both the Indians and overseas Indians present. Ustad Bismillah Khan (86) and Pandit Ravi Shankar (82) inaugurated the festival of overseas Indians with an unrivalled display of their mastery over the shehnai and the sitar.

For those prepared for wordy speeches, the 30-minute recital came as a pleasant surprise. It pushed into the background complaints of traffic snarls, lack of specific numbers on seats and the inevitable problems in attaining invitation cards. Both the Bharat Ratnas shone brightly as an audience of Indians and "foreigners" alike responded to the very best of Indian classical music.

On the stage, the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, could be seen clicking his fingers in appreciation while the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, was nodding his head. And, at the end, came the massive, spontaneous, standing ovation for two of the tallest living Indians. The applause was long even though the "jugalbandi" was brief. "Mai aap ki zaban mein nahin bol sakta'' (I cannot speak in English), the visibly delighted shehnai maestro said, but went on to say in Hindustani that in all these years he had never played together with Pandit Ravi Shankar. For his part, the Pandit pointed out that at 86, Bismillah Khan, was the oldest performing artist in North India and he was "second" at 82. Some of the delegates this correspondent spoke to had travelled long distances to participate in the "Divas", spending their own money to attend the three-day event. Their link with the "motherland" seemed real.

The audience broke into spontaneous cheers as the Prime Minister mentioned the word "dual citizenship". There were, however, some "howls" when he clarified that this dual citizenship for PIOs would be restricted to "certain countries". In his welcome address, the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, spoke of the many successes and accomplishments of overseas Indians.

Stating that the Indian diaspora had come into its own, Mr. Sinha ended with a line from a popular Hindi film: "Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani'' (the heart remains Hindustani).

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National