Hundreds gather to attempt setting record of largest guitar ensemble at Darjeeling Mall
darjeeling: The greatest passion of Darjeeling has always been music and football. On the occasion of the grand finale of the World Cup soccer tournament, the two converged at the Darjeeling Mall as hundreds of guitarists joined in a ensemble on the road to attempt a world record.
Sunday saw the closing ceremony of the month long event "Darjeeling- the World Cup Town." The star attraction of the day was "Strumming for Mother Earth" a guitar ensemble where the highest number of guitarists would attempt a world record.
The event was organised by Darjeeling Grassroot Revival Projects along with Siddhant Memorial Trust and Edwards Foundation. "We organised this event for peace, love, hope and harmony," stated Palzor Tshering, organiser
As per Guinness World Records, the largest guitar ensemble was achieved by 6346 participants in an event organized by Thanks Jimi Festival, in Wroclaw, Rynek, Poland on 1 May, 2009.
The Indian record for the largest guitar ensemble was created on June 3, 2012 with 5,406 guitarists paying tribute to legendary singer Bhupen Hazarika by playing his famous number "Bistirno Parore" at Sarusajai stadium in Guwahati.
Guitarists from far and wide took part in the ensemble and strummed Bob Marley's "One Love" and the popular Nepali number "Musu Musu Hasi Deu."
Hundreds of guitarists from different age brackets came together as music filled the air. The large crowd that had come to watch also pitched in.
"I read about the event in the newspaper and rushed to Darjeeling from Kolkata to take part. The enthusiasm and spontaneity in Darjeeling is electrifying" stated Surojit Sen a former resident of Darjeeling.
Though the numbers were not reached for creating a new record, it definitely opened up the route. "This will be an annual event till we create the record. Darjeeling is passionate about her music and we are sure to do it" stated Deven Gurung, a popular musician. The event saw the felicitation of veteran musicians and singers from the Hills.
This is not the first time that a guitar ensemble is being held in Darjeeling. On January 3, 2013, 600 guitarists had performed John Lennon's immortal, "Imagine" for world peace and as a tribute to "Nirbhaya," a 22 year old student who was raped and fatally assaulted in Delhi. Lennon's wife Yoko Ono had issued a statement after the Darjeeling event stating "I'd like to say thank you with all my heart to the 600 guitarists who had gathered and played together in India last week in protest against the terrible violence done to an innocent woman. You have used your creative skill to make a powerful statement."
