Eminent artistes to launch India unlimited - unity through culture

More than 30 eminent artistes are to come together on one stage in the capital next month in a venture aimed at creating emotional bonding through music and promoting the Indian art and culture. Organised by the India Unlimited, the programme will be the beginning of a movement that will lead to greater awareness of the unlimited talent that exists in India and promote the country’s rich cultural heritage through various forms of performing arts. The event being held on August 14, on the eve of the Independence Day, will be particularly solemn as it is being held at Birla House, the building where The Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, fell to an assassin’s bullet. Not inappropriately, the evening being covered live by DD, will commence with the rendering of Bapu’s favourite hymn, Vaishav jan-to. It is expected to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. Brainchild of advertising expert, Savita Raj Hiremath, who is its managing director, the India unlimited has been set up with well-known singer, Susmit Bose. A total of 35 artistes, including eight composers, have been involved in recording an album which also contains two versions of ‘Vaishnav jan-to’. The objectives of the project are inculcating a sense of pride at being Indian, advocating the long-cherished Indian concept of ‘unity in diversity’ and reflecting the nationalistic sentiments. The theme track Vaishnav jan-to, has been composed by the renowned composer, Sharang Dev. Those who sang for the theme track included Pandit Jasraj, Lata Mangeshkar, Chitra, Sonu Nigam, and S P Bala Subramaniam among the singers and Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, and Amjad Ali Khan among instrumentalists. Those involved with other tracks in the album brought out by the India unlimited, include composers like Kartik Raja, Louis Banks, Vishal Bhardwaj, Shantanu Moitra, the Gandharva Mahavidyala artistes, Aman and Ayan Ali Bangash, the singers, Shubha Mudgal, Susmit Bose, Shankar Mahadevan, Sultan Khan, Shivamani, Suresh Wadekar and lyricist, Javed Akhtar. Hiremath told UNI that the launch event, which will be followed by the similar events in Mumbai, on October 2 (birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi) and in other cities on January 26 next year, is also expected to lead to a movement of integrating art and culture for the betterment of the artiste community. This will include setting up of a benefit fund for senior artistes who have contributed through international recognition of the Indian music, art and culture and an annual award for the contribution to music, art, theatre and other performing arts, and an institution for reviving the ‘guru-shishya parampara’ of discovering and training the students to undergo training under great masters.

(Courtesy: UNI)
- Gaspar Almeida