The taal of the Indian tabla and the strings of Nordic melodies came together as the Ambassador of Sweden, Jan Thesleff, and the Ambassador of Norway hosted Nordic Music in the Monsoon, an evening celebrating the two nations’ cultural ties. Friends from the diplomatic and musical circles came for the evening, where Nordic roots were celebrated, matching perfectly with Indian musicians as Hindustani Classical Vocalist Vidushi Sunanda Sharma performed with Jai Shankar and Ratan Prasanna, alongside Swedish guitarist Peter Tegnér and Indian tabla artist Karsh Kale.Ambassador of Sweden Jan Thesleff said, “Music and the monsoon belong closely together. Composers and musicians have been inspired by the first downpour, from traditional ragas to Bollywood tunes. The five Nordic countries also belong together – through geography, history, values, and culture. It is that commonality we like to share with you in the Nordic Music in the Monsoon series, of which the first edition was held here last year. This year I am very proud to have Norway as co-host, and to be here with my colleague May-Elin Stener. In many ways, this is Norway’s year – and I don’t just mean at the Football World Cup, but also through hosting the third Indo-Nordic Summit in Oslo recently.”He added, “Personally, I love the rain. It makes barren land green and lush. During my four years in India, I have seen Sweden-India relations flourish too, in a way like never before.”Ambassador of Norway May-Elin Stener added, “I would like to thank Jan, as this is also our last opportunity to co-arrange something with him (he is leaving in August). I am really happy we got that opportunity… I hope that as we witness the performance, we will hear not only the echoes of Norway’s mountains and waterfalls, but also the timeless depth of Indian classical music.”
