from Special Correspondent
for Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (AF)

Panaji, Jan 23: A group of musicians from different parts of the world will reunite after a gap of nearly four years for the cause of protecting Indian environment by holding a special concert on Goa’s shores on January 25.

Chinmaya Dunster and the Celtic Ragas Band will be performing in a unique environment awareness concert at Baga, a coastal village here adjacent to world famous Calangute beach.

"We all are in love with India. We have seen air quality going down; cutting down of banyan trees and massive environment degradation," said UK-born Chinmaya Dunster, who is in India on a five-year business visa and intends to settle in Goa.

Dunster, who is down in Goa since August last year, was invited by Sir Paul McCartney to play at his wedding to Heather Mills in Ireland in 2002 and formed the “Celtic Ragas Band” especially for this occasion. The band includes both Indian and foreign members from all over the world.

The band members comprising Bikram Singh (Manipur, India): bamboo flute, Prabodh Senger (Germany): bass guitar, Ramadhan Suisse (Morocco): drums, santoor, Sadhu Bolland (Netherlands): accordion, keyboards, Murti (Pune, India): tabla, Naveena Goffer (Israel): tanpura , Kalyan Mitto (Canada): cello and Sandeep Srivastav (Delhi, India): vocals will be doubling up with Dunster on sarod for the event.

Dunster’s brush with Indian environment began in 2004 when the band played at a multimedia concert at the Bhartiya Vidyapeeth Institute of Environmental Education and Research (Bvieer), Pune for awareness on degradation of western ghats. “This led to the release of a CD on New Earth Records ‘Fragrance of the East’ as well as a DVD, “Concert for India's Environment,” he stated.

Dunster said that the concert is a result of the concern for environment and motivation by Dr Erach Bharucha , director of Bvieer in Pune. “He is a close friend of mine and imparts environmental education in India,” he said. 

The concert will also see participation of leading organizations on environment field like World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Green Peace. “It’s not just music... we will also showcase CD on environment during the concert,” he said.

Stating that the concert is being held without any government assistance, Dunster said that to put together nine people from different corners of world is very difficult basically when they are playing for free. “The concert won’t pay them anything. They are paying from their pockets,” he said replying to a question.