Zubin Mehta: Return of awards major movement

“I don’t live here and haven’t been through the process but I have been reading about it in the papers in the last week or so. I wish I could speak to one of them — writers and filmmakers — to hear their point of view. If such intellectuals are coming forward and returning their awards, it means they feel very strongly. I respect them for what they are doing. I think the government needs to sit and talk about this. There needs to be communication between them,” said Mehta.

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The concert is the result of PM Narendra Modi signing a cultural MoU with former Australian Arts Minister George Brandis to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries towards the end of last year. “This is the first time such a large number of Australian artistes are touring India. Also, we are melding the two countries if you see. While Zubin (Mehta) is your largest cultural import, this orchestra is ours,” says Gabrielle Thompson, the CEO of AWO.

The concerts in India, three of which have already taken place in Mumbai and Bengaluru, mark Mehta’s return to India after being embroiled in much controversy over the concert in Kashmir’s Shalimar Bagh in 2013. “I don’t regret that concert one bit. Separatists protested a week before the concert to make it political. Seventy per cent of Kashmiris saw the concert on their television sets,” said Mehta.

He added that there’s been a constant increase in audiences for western classical music in India. But he maintains the grouse of a world-class concert hall in the Capital. He said he recently spoke to President Pranab Mukherjee during his visit to Jersusalem about the need for a world-class concert hall in Delhi. “This country has a rich tradition of music. It’s in desperate need of a world-class hall, so that more musicians visit the nation,” said Mehta.

Based out of Tel Aviv these days, Mehta, who conducts the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, is known for his terrifyingly guarded yet completely hypnotic manner of conducting an orchestra, mostly without a score, a fact that is upheld and feared by most artistes. “Being an Indian, performing in my nation gives me greatest pleasure and honour. It’s always a homecoming that I immensely love. I hope I can keep coming and performing here,” he added.