KOLKATA: Imagine listening to a medley of compositions of Satyajit Ray, Salil Chowdhury, RD Burman, AR Rahman and Jamaican-American singer Harry Belafonte in Nairobi? Yes, that’s exactly what happened at Jalaram Auditorium in Nairobi to mark the occasion of the World Music Day.
An initiative of June Ananya Pal, a noted cultural activist residing in Nairobi, has a strong connection with Kolkata. On Saturday, she organised a cultural programme, Music & Beyond, in Nairobi. From a Hindi bhajan sung with African music arrangement, Shiv Tandav Stotram performed by Indian and African dancers to a fusion of Kathak and Bharatnatyam on a Bollywood song, the event was all about music.However, the main attraction of the evening was a medley of compositions of Ray, Salil Chowdhury, RD Burman, AR Rahman and Harry Belafonte, who recently passed away. “It's an apt time to showcase the power of music. We have lost legendary Harry Belafonte recently and we paid a special tribute to him too,” Pal said.
“It’s a musical where Satyajit Ray's composition met the likes of Belafonte, RD Burman, Salil Chowdhury, and AR Rahman in Nairobi. It's our initiative to showcase how Indian music has a global appeal,” said Pal, while speaking about the event.