This time round the opening venue was the Asian School of Business with a crowd of over 5,000 fans cheering for the band as Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood belted out Zinda, Najane Kyun, Anjaane, Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar, Koi Aanay Wala Hai, Aakhri Alvida, Chaaye Chaaye, Dhaani and Mera Bicchra Yaar.

The second show was for a bank. The young corporate Indian crowd grew up listening to Strings as students, and they are now spreading a positive word about Pakistan throughout the country.

Strings then took to stage on the rooftop of the Jolly Rogers Rock Club in New Delhi. The last time the band performed in the city was at the Saarc Festival in January 2010 in which Strings represented Pakistan. After 26/11, there had been a halt in the cultural exchanges between Pakistan and India and many a music deal and gigs were called off.

Faisal recalls, “After the release of Dhaani, we used to perform in India at least twice a month. But, after 26/11, things were political ly very changed. Every month, we used to turn down two to three concert offers because the visa process takes so much time that it’s actually impractical to perform that often.” So how different was it this time round? “After performing, we realised that things are moving in the right direction and the reaction of the audience and the Indian people towards Pakistan has changed quite a lot. And here, I am talking of a common Indian citizen, because people who come to our concerts are our fans and always want peace. But, one gets to know the real reaction from a common man who doesn’t follow our music. And, I must say, it has been a very positive change,” said Bilal.

How does music bridge the gap between the two countries? “Music is so powerful that when it is played nobody cares which country the artiste belongs to. People are mesmerised by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali, Abida Parveen and Ghulam Ali in India. Similarly, Rahat Fateh Ali’s and Atif Aslam’s songs in Indian films prove that Pakistani musicians are playing a very important role in winning the hearts of the Indian audience. Also, Ali Zafar featured in an Indian film just recently. Music is all about positivity,” said Faisal.

Strings’ songs have been a part of Sanjay Gupta’s film’s soundtracks such as Zinda (Yeh Meri Kahani) and Shootout at Lokhandwala (Aakhri Alvida). “Our fans will surely be listening to some Bollywood projects by us this year,” disclosed the band. And on why doesn’t Strings feature more often in film music? Bilal said, “It’s because we don’t do playback singing. We only do it when the theme of the movie goes with our music.” FInally, Strings also visited Mumbai and hung out with friends John Abraham, Javed Akhtar and Diya Mirza. — Shahzeb Shaikh ¦for Dawn Images.