Concert raises Rs 75 lakhs for Jammu & Kashmir

New Delhi: Kashmiri folk and sufi music dominated a concert, led by santoor players Pandit Bhajan Sopori and son Abhay Sopori to raise funds for those affected in floods of Jammu and Kashmir.

Organised by German Ambassador Michael Steiner on the lawns of his residence here, the concert late last evening evoked sublime melodies with typical Kashmiri instruments like Tumbaknaer, clay pot (matka), banjo and tabla among others. Sufi singer Ragini Rainu also gave a special performance.

“The purpose of this Ehsas-e-Kashmir concert is to show our solidarity with the people of Kashmir,” said Mr Steiner, who along with his wife Eliese felicitated the concert. “The events in Kashmir are heartbreaking. These are worst floods since 1904. The situation there is still difficult and it is not over because the water is receding. In many respects, it will become worse, it will become cold and there is risk of water-borne diseases,” he said.

Efforts by the German ambassador has so far mobilised a total of Rs 75 lakhs and Mr Steiner said he has set himself “a goal of Rs 1 crore.” “I have set myself a target of Rs 1 crore for Kashmiris. Of course, Kashmir and Kashmiris need much more. It is a devastating situation. It is only a gesture we are talking about, a gesture coming from the heart,” he said.

The funds thus collected, he said, would go towards supplying food rations, chlorine tablets, cooking utilites, syringes and warm clothing for the flood victims. The supplies would be transported to Kashmir in three trucks, the first of which was flagged off by him on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Abhay Sopori said the idea of a concert originated after a conversation with Mr Steiner and his wife. “I called him up and in between the conversation asked him can we do something. He didn’t hesitate,” said the junior Sopori, who had also participated in a concert at the Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar by legendary music maestro Zubin Mehta and his Bavarian music orchestra.