They trace their roots to ancestors of the Mongols and the Huns, leading a life of nomads divided into several tribes, breeding horses travelling from one place to the other, a part of the Soviet Union that gained its independence in the 1990s, Kazakhstan, a land full of surprises. My week-long visit to this country was filled with great enjoyment. The flight was from New Delhi to Almaty and further to Astana, which is the new capital of the country.
The city like any other is divided between the old and the new parts. The old living lifestyle and markets are testimony to the Soviet times. The new city is vibrant and full of huge malls, arcades, playing arenas, international hotel chains, and restaurants serving international cuisines.
During our stay, the temperature dropped to -3ºC and it also started snowing. Then, the temperature soon dropped to a whopping -30ºC. But thanks to the Vivekananda Center, also known as the Indian Cultural Center run by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and headed by Sanjay Vedi, our stay was memorable.
I will never forget this country for its commitment to the arts. The Kazakh Center, a magnificent concert hall, was where we performed with the Kazakh National Orchestra as part of the Alem Saj festival, premiering Mahatma Symphony, an amazing concerto divided into three sections, composed by Padmabhushan L. Subramaniam.
The Kazakh National Academy of Choreography is an organisation dedicated to dance and teaching folk and classical ballet. An experience that I will cherish all my life. Seeing young and aspiring ballerinas being trained was delightful. In Kazakhstan, horse meat and horse milk are delicacies. Because of the harsh winter, a lot of the country’s establishments were designed for indoor activities. Several playing arenas have been built indoors. The European premiere of the Mahatma Symphony spanned across Europe — Switzerland, Italy, and Spain. Performing in Basel and Geneva, we were witness to the beauty of Lake Lausanne, which was on way from Basel to Geneva by train.
The concert in Italy was held at the Milan National Theatre and in Bologna, with the Bolognia Symphony. We enjoyed our days in Italy greatly, not least because of the great cuisine. The kind hospitality of Sanjay Bhattacharjee is a mustmention. And our stay in Milan would have been incomplete without Nand Kumar’s beautiful villa on the outskirts of the city, which provided an amazing view of the majestic Alps. We had occasional dinners at Cardamom, his South Indian restaurant.
The exotic country of Spain was memorable, thanks to Guiellermo and his organisation Casa De La India, inspired by Rabindranath Tagore and Pandit Ravi Shankar. It is instrumental in propagating Indian dance and music in Europe. We performed at the Madrid National Theatre and in Valladolid, with the Valladolid Symphony Orchestra. As a practising classical musician, it was a delightful learning experience for me to be a part of the Mahatma Symphony. I feel blessed to have played in such projects under Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and L. Subramaniam.
(l-r) The imposing Kazakh National Academy of Choreography, A view of snowclad Astana
(l-r)The grand new Triumph of Astana building in the Kazakh capital, The Arch of Triumph in Astana
(l-r) The author with a mannequin in traditional Kazakh attire in the background, Ballerinas training at the Kazakh National Academy of Choreography
The author in a groupfie moment in front of the Pantheon in Rome
L. Subramaniam (third from left), composer of the Mahatma Symphony, singer Kavita Krishnamurthy ( fourth from left) and Tanmoy Bose (fifth from left) with others during the tour