First ever musical tribute for Bhopal gas victims

BHOPAL - The first-ever music album which will pay a tribute to the Bhopal gas victims is on the cards.

The musical tribute, an instrumental music album that features artistes of national and international repute, is an initiative of the Bhopal Sahayog Trust with support from the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), the trust’s secretary Sadhna Karnik Pradhan told IANS.

The album, she said, features Norwegian Grammy award winner sexophonist Rolf Erik, sitar artist Smita Nagdev, Prashant Joshi from Pune on tabla, Anand Naydu of Hyderabad on ghatam and morechung artist of international fame Umesh Jadiya of Gujarat. A.W. Bekay, the Norwegian folk music award winner has played guitar with Osmand of Norway in support, Pradhan said.

The album includes six tracks - “City of lakes” in which the beauty and environment of Bhopal is expressed in Raag Bhopali. “City gets into trouble” is composed in Raag Madhuvanti and expresses the city’s sentiments on the night after the gas leak.

Similarly, “The pain” is composed in Raag Todi while the fourth track “Support”, celebrating the spirit of struggle among Bhopal victims for justice and the international support to the victims’ cause, is a fusion of Indian classical and western Jazz music.

The concept, initiative and coordination of the music album which is slated for release in the first week of April, are by Pradhan while the album has been recorded in Symphony Studio, Hyderabad with support from renowned sitar player Smita Nagdev, who is a gas victim herself. The music composer Siddarth Parashar is from Bhopal.