|
A discussion takes place between Greg and an old friend, a Brahmin tabla player, Kamal Kant Sharma (Kamal), in Delhi. Greg raises the question of opportunities missed (with regard to the The Green Pennant Awards), and the possibility of recording The Story of Comex in Song as the best means of ensuring their future. Kamal launches into an account of the battle of Paniput between Muslims and Marathas in January 1761. A single mango tree on the battlefield frustrated the outcome of the battle, because the Maratha commander was very fond of mangoes, and when he saw the mango tree dismounted to go in search of one. Observing that he was no longer on his horse, his army fled - concluding that he had been killed - ending the dream of a Maratha Empire. A huge opportunity lost! Kamal had made his point; the discussion continued. In pursuing the idea of The Story of Comex in Song in India, he proposes a meeting with the head of Doordarsham: India's Broadcasting Corporation. The meeting takes place and the idea is well received. Kamal gets to work on a Raga for the Commonwealth based on a tune written for bagpipes, Little Green Flags, and is assisted by Promod Shanker, a well known sarod player. The Raga is performed during The Green Pennant Awards at the Three Rivers Theatre in Delhi. It is well received and the performance is repeated at the All India Post Graduate Institute of Medicine in Chandigarh.
|
