Successful Indian concert mesmerises audience

Tabla maestro Manjit Singh, above and sitarist Shalu Garg, right. Picture by Avneesh Vincent

The magic of Indian classical music created a sonic fabric that mesmerised the audience at the Lawson Field Theatre Rose Room on Saturday.

More than 100 people attended the inaugural Indian Classical Music and Folk Songs event which became an instant hit among the locals, who cheered and applauded the skilful musicianship of both local and visiting musicians.

Prior to the musical razzmatazz, organiser Tairāwhiti Multicultural Council president Arish Naresh thanked the audience for turning up in numbers. He then handed out a couple of beautifully carved Māori taonga to his special guests, Multicultural New Zealand president Pancha Narayanan and national secretary Prem Singh.

Mr Narayanan complimented TMC on the well-organised event.

“It’s a privilege and pleasure to see such an event finally take place in Tairāwhiti,” he said.

“Although the performances were centred on the Indian culture, it’s great to see a multicultural audience turn up. I would also like to thank the local multicultural council for bringing people together especially when the region has gone through so much due to the cyclone.

“Hopefully we have been successful in letting people leave their worries even for a bit and providing some warmth through this event.”

The highlights of the evening were spearheaded by a local ensemble followed by a couple of Auckland-based artists: sitarist Shalu Garg and tabla maestro Manjit Singh.

During the first half of the evening, Mrs Garg led a duet with the tabla specialist and received a resounding number of cheers for her soothing and delicate performance which put people in a “musical trance”.

The second half saw Mr Singh take the lead with his iPhone being the sole accompanying instrument on stage.

From producing songs based on the institution of marriage, traffic, and India’s much-loved sport, cricket, the musician had the locals in smiles all the time. For several, his interactive display of music felt like receiving a one-to-one lesson with the maestro.

Besides music, people had a fun time putting on henna, an Indian temporary body art, and having free meals to sweeten the overall event.

Mr Narayanan said the multicultural group formed a network of councils in 1989, after someone, during a city council meeting in Auckland, had described the Indian community as a bunch of “curry munchers”.

“We took that insult as motivation to spread our heritage and since then have been making everyone munch curry as well.

“We hope more and more people join us on this journey moving forward.”