This Saturday I had the honour and pleasure of experiencing music and a show like never before. A talented bunch of kids, an emotional foreigner Business Tycoon and the warmth of cultured Kolkatans made for a heady mix at The Tollygunge Club.
I had gone for a swim on Saturday and after that realised that there was an event on the calendar that I had wanted to attend and it was the same evening. So after a quick bite, I proceeded to the lawns where the group of youngsters had all lined up in neat rows as a choir group should and all looking resplendent in their white shirts. These were the famous singing sensations of the Dr. Graham’s Homes on their annual tour of the city for the Rising Stars in Concert 2008. I was just blown away by these young vocalists belting out songs from Westlife, Abba, Linkin Park, Elton John, Irene Cara, Eva Cassidy, and Evanescence. They also did renditions of Maa Tujhe Salaam (A.R. Rahman), I will Survive (Diana Ross) and We Are The World and The Joseph’s Megamix from musical Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Andrew Lloyd Webber which were just over the top.
A violin solo by a little boy named Prayash Biswa Karma was just intriguing. Look out for this young lad; he’ll soon be on the global map of music with the right kind of nurturing of his gift for music.
In the midst of this was a touching moment that brought Derek O’brien on stage to auction a cricket bat which had by some twist of fate been handed to them just that afternoon with signatures of the entire Indian Cricket team that had just played a one day international match vs. the visiting English team in Chennai. So as the bidding started at Rs. 50,000 with a lady bidding the first amount, the battle egged on with another gentleman in the audience till its reached Rs. 90,000/-. Thereafter a gentleman from the back, bald, dressed in black and ‘gora’ who had chatted with us from the next table in the Shamiana while were we grabbing a bite, took the bidding to a whole new level crossing the Rs. 100,000/- barrier. Our two brave Kolkatan’s egged on by Derek took the bid up to Rs. 150,000/-. Thereafter Manfred, another burly ‘gora’ with an enormous beer gut just went to the next level taking the bid up to Rs. 200,000/-. By now our two contenders’ were out of the running and Derek himself stepped in as the new contender for the bat. But our ‘generous gora’ had his heart set on getting that bat and outbid even the witty Derek out of the trophy and it was settled at a quarter of a million Rupees (Rs. 250,000/-). Going once, going twice, Gone to Manfred from Germany.
His accomplice Tony, the other ‘gora’ as he referred to himself when he came up to the stage to introduce his kind hearted friend and wonderful human being Manfred, thanked the people of Kolkata and their kindness and warm heartedness and said that Kolkata was his second home. Manfred on the other hand accepted the bat and offered it to the lady he had outbid as he said he wanted to give the money to these wonderful children anyway. Tearful and emotional, reminiscing his humble beginnings, he got a standing ovation from the crowd.
Later on when I spoke with Derek and he told me that the warm and generous man had signed a cheque there and then and handed it to them. Wow! That man has a heart bigger than his gut. It was a deeply moving scene to behold him addressing those kids and telling them that they deserved the best life and the promise of his lifelong support to them.
The choir was called back and for the sake of the enthralled audience performed two Christmas carols before finishing up their performance.
It truly was an inspiring and entertaining evening that cannot be forgotten.
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