The blame for political overtones to the show lies squarely on the organisers. The more-than-required hype by the officials of German Embassy in Delhi has added a touch of politics to the show, writes Junaid Rashid
The Indian-born Germany’s western classical music maestro Zubin Mehta’s planned Kashmir show is unlikely to be called off despite opposition from separatist political sections, religious leaders and civil society members.
Titled “Ehsaas-e-Kashmir”, the concert would be held in the groovy settings of the famous Shalimar Garden on September 7. But it has already got all the bad publicity that was needed to render it into a political extravaganza. What should have been a pure cultural show has gone all the way to be showcased as a peace indicator in the valley that has witnessed an armed uprising against Indian rule for the past over two decades.
The blame for political overtones to the show lies squarely on the organisers. The concert is organized by the German Embassy in collaboration with state and central governments. The more-than-required hype by the officials of German Embassy in Delhi has added the touch of politics to the show. “We recognize legitimate institutions in Kashmir”, a July-3 statement by German Ambassador Michael Steiner in Srinagar was the first indication of politics behind Zubin Mehta’s show. The culminating effect came, when some days later, he said ‘we have an emotional bond with Kashmir’.
This was the most far fetched and absurd thing one could hear from the German Ambassador to India. It is anybody’s guess that Germany and Kashmir have nothing in common that can be turned into an emotional bond. Germany and Kashmir are two distinct and different geographical identities with discreet disconnects in culture, trade, language, religion, civilization, ethnicity and social and political ways of life.
It was no less a remark than Turkey saying that it shares cultural and emotional bonds with Tamil Nadu.
Zubin No Messiah
Kashmir, through all its history, has remained center of attraction for foreigners, and visitors from different countries of the world have been coming to this place to enjoy it beauty and nature. So have the visitors from Germany too been coming here. This kind of bond is shared by almost all the western countries with Kashmir.
Calling it ‘special’, as put by German Ambassador, is going too overboard, which is due to give rise to suspicion about the intentions behind such claims, something that is best known to New Delhi and Bonn alone.
Moreover, the final nail in the coffin was Zubin’s own statement. “We want to reach out to people of Kashmir through this concert with a message of hope and encouragement,” he said, adding further colour to his show. “I am coming with message of peace to Kashmir,” he added and left nothing to imagination.
Peace in Kashmir, for all probabilities, is a relative term. It is directly associated with the issue of Kashmir. Now, should one assume that Zubin Mehta is coming with some formula to resolve the issue of Kashmir? That is not, and cannot be the case. By linking peace with his show, he has only brought forth the intentions behind holding the show.
Unending Melancholy
What also made one to see the show with a salt of grain is that a bunch of people with a particular line of political ideas beat the drum about the importance of this concert. On social networking websites, this class of people called it as an event of ‘smile’ for Kashmir. Linking it with past years of trouble, they said that it would bring smiles on faces of people of Kashmir, who have suffered immensely in the past 25 years.
This case again lacks reason when viewed in proper perspective.
Smile is an innate feeling which cannot be imported from outside. It should come from within. Going by the happenings that took place in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 25 years, there is little reason for one to smile.
It is perhaps against this backdrop that a political move is sensed behind holding the show. Pakistani rock band Junoon was the first international group to perform in sprawling lawns of SKICC in 2008. Even before Junoon group, some Pakistani singers too performed in Kashmir. It did not create any waves in Kashmir then, mainly because these shows were kept at bay from politics.
Musicians from different countries do travel to other countries and perform there. As long as such shows are restricted to their original spirit, there should be no objections and protests. But Zubien Mehta show has already crossed the limit.
(The author is Opinion Editor, FreePress. Views are his own. You can send your contributions to [email protected])
