SRINAGAR: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah while speaking on the occasion of Zubin Mehta music concert at Shalimar garden this evening, highlighted the grandeur and natural beauty of Kashmir by reciting the famous couplet, “Gar firdous baroae zameen astt, hamien astto hamien astto hamien asttâ€, (If there is heaven on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this).
The Chief Minister said that the couplet symbolizes the reality and irony of Kashmir. “The reality is its God given beauty and the irony is how man has conspired often to turn it into a living hellâ€.
After so many years today, Shalimar Bagh has once again come alive to the sounds of music, he said expressing his pleasure to welcome Zubin Mehta and his orchestra to Srinagar.
Omar said that politics is never far from what happens in Kashmir. “Tomorrowwhen the sun rises again it will rise on the land that has seen pain and suffering, a land that is yearning for peaceâ€, he said, adding that today this evening, for few hours let us lift our spirit and lighten our souls and allow ourselves to dream for a peaceful tomorrow.
The German Ambassador to India Mr. Michael Steiner on the occasion said that German and European cultural heritage bows to Kashmir, to its heritage its beauty and its difficult realities and yearnings. “Today with this event the distance of 7076 km between Munich and Srinagar has been reduced to zeroâ€, he added.
Against the magnificent backdrop of the world famous Shalimar Bagh and the Zabarwan hills, the music maestro Zubin Mehta performed the world renowned Bavarian State Orchestra enthralling the audience. He said “I have waited and dreamt for this moment all my life and every person on the sub-continent will agree that this is where it should beâ€, adding that he will again perform a musical concert in presence of every Kashmiri and not the only 2000 present today.
