Earthquakes struck the Caribbean island of Haiti in early January. Around 70,000 people died. Many others were injured. The toll is rising as Haitians and rescuers from around the world sift through the debris of collapsed buildings. May God give those affected, especially the survivors, the strength to bear the tragedy.
The day after the quake, I performed at the Saptak Festival in Ahmedabad. I played with a heavy heart. But I am glad that many of the children orphaned by the quake were welcomed at orphanages and adoption centres in the United States. I pray that these children get to start their lives afresh.
I have experienced quakes measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale in Dehradun and some other parts of the world. The earth is often referred to as mother. It is called dharti maa and Bharat mata in India. But few people try to find out why there is so much suffering on this earth. Why can’t we control floods and droughts? Why are we still not equipped to store rain water? In spite of having scientists and astrologers, we cannot control natural calamities. It’s time we committed ourselves to saving the environment and tackling global warming.
Ahmedabad has been hosting the annual Saptak festival, from January 1 to 13, for the past 30 years. This year, too, the greatest and the most talented young maestros performed. My sons Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan performed on the fourth day of the event. I performed on the last day. People from all over the world, including many NRIs, were present. I had a memorable performance that went on till 2 a.m.
I remember visiting Ahmedabad with my father in 1959 for a major music festival at the Town Hall. I hope old venues like the Town Hall, Tagore Hall, Prema Bhai Hall are renovated. I have held concerts in Baroda, Navsari and Surat in Gujarat.
After the Saptak festival, I took an Air India flight to Mumbai for a two-day music festival in memory of Pt C.R. Vyas. I rested for most of the day. Before leaving for the concert hall, I opened the sarod box to change a few strings of my instrument. I was shocked and pained to see that my sarod was broken.
I called the concert organisers and told them about it. It was my duty to inform the audience waiting patiently for me at the Chembur Fine Arts Society hall. So I reached the packed venue and showed them my damaged sarod and assured them a rescheduled concert the following day. They were kind and patient and gave me a standing ovation. I told them that the airline’s porters had mishandled my sarod. And that too despite the many ‘fragile’ tags on the box!
I requested my wife to bring another sarod. I gave two concerts with it—at the National Centre for Performing Arts, and Jamshed Bhabha Auditorium—on two consecutive days. God was kind. My audience was gracious and gave me a standing ovation.
Across the world, musical instruments and the fragile items are handled by a special team and delivered at a separate counter for ‘over size baggage’. In India, heavy suitcases and fragile items come through a common conveyor belt. It is a criminal offence. I am grateful to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel for calling me and the concern he showed. The Air India chairman also called me.
I did not lodge a complaint or claim damages because Air India is our national carrier. But it is expected of all airlines, especially Air India, to handle fragile items like musical instruments with care.
This article courtesy of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and The Week.
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