About The Event
In honour of Independence Day, which falls on the next day, The Ahimsa Concert celebrates non-violent movements from around the world with music and drama. The music is an irresistibly foot-tapping medley of jazz, blues, rap, gospel and different types of Indian music coming together in ways that will surprise and delight you. The songs include jazzed-up versions of well-known favourites from our Freedom Struggle, the Civil Rights Movement and the Fight Against Apartheid, thumris composed by courtesans that supported Gandhiji’s Non-Cooperation Campaigns, and new songs inspired by these historic events.
The songs are interspersed with enacted scenes remembering the historic words and times of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. The music ensemble includes piano, sax, double bass, clarinet, drums, harmonium and tabla.
Nationally awarded actor, Joy Sengupta, of `Dance Like A Man` fame, will move you to smiles and tears with his sensitive and powerful portrayal of Gandhi. Rajesh Kumar of the well-known Urdu storytelling troupe, the Dastangoi Collective, and the show`s writer and director, Suranya Aiyar, will take you through history and around the world in various roles. The enacted parts are in English and Hindustani, and can be enjoyed by those familiar with either language.
Vocals will be by Suranya Aiyar, with her rich, textured voice and Arshul Ameen, in his pure allap-decorated tenor. In addition, The Ahimsa Concert will feature as guest artist, Carnatic vocal star, Sudha Raghuraman, in a Carnatic-Jazz duet with the ensemble`s horn section. And, for the first time ever, Dhrupad will be combined in a Jazz duet with the Double Bass in a composition arranged by Padmashri Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar and sung by his student, Aravindan Srinivasan. The music for the rest of the show has been arranged and composed by Antonio Cardozzo on the Western side and Kairana Gharana, Ustad Arif Ali Khan, on the Indian side.
The Ahimsa Concert is a 3 hour rolling concert with a new set approximately every twenty minutes, so come even if you get delayed in the office or in traffic! And we would love for you to bring your babies and kids, but if they get antsy, then take them for a walk around the theatre gardens for a break, so as to minimise crying and yelling during the show!
