World Music Festival Day at Thapae Gate

June 25

Consulate of India in Chiang Mai organised a Public Concert at Tha Phae Gate to celebrate World Music Day in association with Chiang Mai Municipality, the city’s first Indian languages band Saptak, and popular bands Simple Band, After Crush, and Burning Season, and singers group Suman & Friends. It was a real musical extravaganza which continued till mid-night with singers from various nationalities, including Thai students, enthralling the audience by singing in different world languages, including Thai. The audience included a large number of tourists. It was Chiang Mai’s first-ever public celebration of #WorldMusicDay, which is observed the world over on June 21, the same day as the #InternationalDayofYoga. Chiang Mai’s Deputy Mayor was the Chief Guest and Consul General of Japan Keiichi Higuchi along with spouse Kaori Higuchi were the distinguished guests. Consul Krishna Chaitanya in his welcome remarks stated that both Yoga and music seek to bring peace and harmony within our individual self as well as within the wider surroundings of the individuals. He expressed the hope that the event will become part of Chiang Mai’s annual music calender and become yet another attraction for the tourists from the world over, including India. He introduced the Logo for the World Music Day, Chiang Mai designed by Vinimay Kaul, who also crafted a special momento, which was presented to all the performers. Later, adding to the response to one of the questions in the anchor’s quiz, he stated that what the music can do was demonstrated by the Concert for Bangladesh organised on August 01, 1971 by George Harrison and India’s Sitar Maestro Ravi Shankar to help people from what subsequently became Bangladesh. The Concert made the people aware about the atrocities being perpetrated on the people and contributed to mobilising the world opinion about the liberation of Bangladesh. The duo had hoped to raise a few thousand dollars but its albums had at the last count in 1997 generated as much as fourteen million dollars and still continue to be sold and the funds are administered by UNICEF. The sound and light arrangements were superbly done by Audition and the anchoring by Subhashani, clad in a Saree made from banana leaf fibres, was perfect. Leading Indian restaurant Accha Authentic Indian Cuisine and Chai N Thai had set up food stalls which were completely sold out.