The South Asian Symphony Orchestra: Building Bridges for Peace

the south asIan sYmphonY orChestra: buIldIng brIdges For peaCe

Nirupama Rao

As India celebrates its 75th year of Independence, we find that the South Asian region is full of conflict; there are threats and turmoil all around. It is here that music, with its soothing nature and ability to heal, has an important role to play. The political rhythm takes on a new beat when countries come together in harmony and this is where the South Asian Symphony Orchestra becomes a ‘baton for cooperation’.

iplomacy, in its essence, is about people. One of its core purposes is to reach across borders and to build bridges across divides. South Asia has been an arena of conflict, but it is also the crucible of an ancient and enduring civilisation, a place of rich cultural traditions, vibrant dance and song. It is a region that has absorbed and assimilated influences from the world outside. Today, however, it is, unfortunately, one of the least integrated regions in the world.

Political tensions and the legacies of history have kept the nations of South Asia apart. The threat of conflict has never receded. The subcontinent— another name for our region—is beset with various woes, including religious radicalism and terrorism, the threat of nuclear war, depleting natural resources and environmental pollution. Yet, despite the political boundaries that divide the eight nations of South Asia—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka—there is an urge among the people who inhabit this space to co-exist in harmony with each other, so that their tomorrows can be better than their todays, so that their children are assured a brighter future.

A symphony, as Gustav Mahler said, ”must be like the world. It must embrace everything.” We, at the South Asian Symphony Foundation (established in 2018), created the South Asian Symphony Orchestra because we believe music speaks the language of peace. There is magic to music; it rises above the strife between nations. The right to music is a basic human right. Our musicians come from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka and also from the South Asian diaspora who have made their homes in the United States and Europe. Some of them are as young as 13 and 14, some are refugees from war, they are drawn from different walks of life. One of our young Afghan members says that music has changed his world and that his aim in life is to ‘overcome the sound of war with the sound of music’.

In two concerts held in Mumbai and Bengaluru in 2019, the South Asian Symphony Orchestra demonstrated what South Asians can do when they collaborate, with true commitment and discipline, in a celebration—through music—of the shared geographical and cultural space we call South Asia. One of the pieces they played in this debut concert was ‘Hamsafar—a Musical Journey through South Asia’—which drew inspiration from the songs sung in the different countries of the region. As the word ‘Hamsafar’ suggests, we are all fellow-voyagers, as we strive to realise a better future for the people who inhabit the region.

Transcending race and religion, and drawing strength from diversity, orchestras become vectors of peace. They are microcosms of the world as it can be—a world defined by cooperation, coordination, generosity, mutual empathy and self-control. Orchestras cultivate the art of listening, they prioritise balance and equipoise. Their aim is to create that ‘perfect’ cadence, a union of the spheres.

Symphony Orchestras are not common in South Asia. Building a world-class Symphony Orchestra takes years of rigorous training and demands the highest standards of excellence. Our work has only begun. However, the musical talents of South Asians

Transcending race and religion, and drawing strength from diversity, orchestras become vectors of peace. They are microcosms of the world as it can be

are truly rich and outstanding. South Asian music composers have won fame worldwide. Our young musicians have the talent and the determination to excel. Integration within South Asia and also integration between South Asia and the rest of the world must become stronger. Music offers one way of doing this. The happiest part of this whole experience has been to witness the passion, commitment and discipline of our musicians in the South Asian Symphony Orchestra.

In the words of a recent World Bank study, ‘The region’s music mirrors its society, tells stories, expresses emotion, shares ideas and acts as a form of historic record. Promoting regional platforms for music can protect these traditions while helping the South Asian community connect.’ The study called the South Asian Symphony Orchestra a ‘baton for cooperation’, noting that the project is not financed by governments, but by Indian donors and corporate sponsors, making it ‘a unique initiative of by and for the people’.

The pandemic we are currently battling has meant that our Orchestra has not been able to meet in person, but we have ensured that its message and meaning are not diminished. Our journal, Accord—www.sasf. substack.com—keeps our community of musicians and our well-wishers connected. Our YouTube channel—https://youtube.com/ channel/UCPBYXhKWAfO5aBuu0cilj8g—carries recordings of our concerts, discussions and webinars elaborating on the theme of building a South Asian identity through music. Currently, we are planning our next concert in Chennai, in the late summer of 2022.

The South Asian Symphony Orchestra takes South Asia to the world, and brings the world to South Asia. As an exercise in integration and platform-building, we hope it can provide an alternate vision for a region that has long been fraught by geopolitical rivalries—a vision of hope and healing.

Nirupama Rao was Foreign Secretary in the Government of India (2009-11) and has earlier served as Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka and Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. She was Ambassador of India to the United States from 2011 to 2013. On retirement, Rao was a Fellow at Brown University. She is the foundertrustee of the South Asian Symphony Foundation. Rao is the author of The Fractured Himalaya: India, Tibet, China 1949 to 1962.