Dammam, Saudi Arabia:
Legendary Indian sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, accompanied by his two sons, cast a spell over music lovers with their melody treat at a concert he performed for the first time in Saudi Arabia. Saudis and expatriates numbering about 500 listened to the maestro, who wove his magic over the audience.
"I have been performing since I was 12, and I wonder why it took so long for me to come to Saudi Arabia? This is my tribute to Dammam," Khan said at the start of the musical extravaganza.
Khan began the show performing with tabla player Rashid Mustafa, and his sons Amaan and Ayaan joined him half way. Khan spoke about the Arabian influences on Indian music and went on to demonstrate the same eliciting a huge round of applause from those present. The performance was organised as part of Soorya India Festival 2011, an Indian business summit and cultural festival.
"India and Saudi Arabia have been and will always be at crossroads of exchanges. Culture, arts, ideology as well as economy - for thousand years India and Saudi Arabia have been partners in these fields and have reached a common ground which is echoed by their influences to each other's cultures," Rafeek Younus, president and chief global coordinator of Soorya India Cultural Society said.
The event was attended by Saudi business executives including well known businessman Sheikh Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Saihati.