PULLIN’ THE RIGHT STRINGS &FEELIN’ EUPHORIC
PRIYANKA DASGUPTA & ASHOK CHATTERJEE
Film-maker Feroz Abbas Khan, who was introducing the programme that was dedicated to former CM Jyoti Basu, was overwhelmed by the turnover of youth at the Kolkata leg of the concert. “I’ve been to the Aman Ki Asha concerts in Delhi and Mumbai. In Delhi, there were thousands attending the show and countless others waiting for passes outside the venue. In Mumbai, it was so overwhelming to see Shubha Mudgal and Abidaji together on stage. Kolkata was a completely different experience altogether. We had just come out of mourning and yet the young crowd was so spontaneous in their support for a cause. As I said, at the people-to-people level, the verdict is out. We want to stop bickering and imagine a tomorrow that’s without hatred. I wish at least one Pakistani player was taken in IPL-3. Sports would have benefited immensely through this gesture,” he said.
Euphoria frontman Dr Palash Sen took to the stage with the stuti, vakratunda mahakaya, and then a prarthana. Dressed in all white, the attire only reinforced the peace initiative. Rok sako toh, Dhoom pichak dhoom… gave an adrenaline rush. It’s rare that a band gets a large section of the crowd on its feet just three songs down the concert. In between, Palash wisecracked about how the 1947 divide meant a lot of beautiful girls moving over to the other side of the border. Tongue firmly in cheek, he made a fervent appeal for their comeback with the song: Aa bhi jaa. He dedicated the song, Sayonee, to his friends across the border, Salman, Ali and Bryan. What got everyone emotional was the band’s ever-popular number, Maaeri, that was dedicated to both India and Pakistan. What a treat it was to watch a young group of boys doing a variation of the Highland barn dance to Palash’s improvised rendition of Jodi tor dak shune!
A 10-minute break later, Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood were up on stage with Koi aaney wala hai. The duo love Kolkata’s culture and the city’s ear for music. And they love rosogolla and rosomalai too. What a soulful performance it was! Chaaye chaaye, Sohniyae, Dhaani, Duur… the crowd wanted more and went into a euphoric high, moments after the duo sung Zinda — their first Bollywood number. The mood was intoxicating even as Faisal requested all lights to be turned off while every member in the crowd kept their mobile phones’ screens alight. As hands swayed in pitch darkness, it looked like freefalling stars dancing in the sky! Cricket too found space as much as Bollywood while Strings dedicated Aa dekhen zara to Knight Riders for IPL 3. If Euphoria had won hearts by asking those across the border to come to Hindustan ke dil ke gulley mein, Adeel got the crowd intoxicated when he played
Sare jahan se accha on his guitar! Finally, the two bands lent their voice to Aman ki asha, a number penned especially for the occasion by Dr Palash Sen. By the time they sang Dil ko jeetenge, which they had jointly recorded a few years ago during the Indo-Pak series, the audience was already on a high. Musically and emotionally, they hummed Yeh dosti hum nahi todenge long after Strings and Euphoria had sung the number on stage. For Kolkata, the Aman Ki Asha concert was not just another band programme. It wasn’t just about braving the cold to shake a leg. It was about wanting to redefine history. It was about realising and feeling that lakeerein are best left to separate countries; they aren’t ever meant for heartbreaks!
