Hindu Huddle ended its two-day event with moving music by Nirupama Rao, former Indian Foreign Secretary . Rao joined Soundarie David Rodrigo, renowned Sri Lankan pianist known from Sri Lanka’s Got Talent and choir Soul Sounds .
Rao's show, “Counterpoint: A Life in Diplomacy,Poetry and Music,” mixed her diplomatic tales with stirring songs . Classics like Bob Dylan’s “Farewell Angelina,” Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer,” Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile,” and “Dream a Little Dream” by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt filled the air.
Reflecting,Rao said, “There are many ways to tell stories of life. One can tell them through days and milestones,places lived and positions held. As a diplomat,I spent life dealing with stories of nations . But when I look back today at my own journey,I remember songs.” She called the night a musical memoir,noting the songs were ones that deeply resonated with her.
Rao,founder of South Asian Symphony Foundation (SASF), shared her life as daughter of an Indian Army officer, often moving around India. This early diversity shaped her sense of home . Her diplomatic work took her to cities like Beijing, Colombo,Lima,Moscow,and Washington. “Music has been enduring constants of my life,” she said.
Concert spanned Broadway hits,American jazz and folk. Rao said each piece brought memories tied to places,people,times,creating a soundtrack of her cross-cultural life . She started with “Beautiful Dreamer,” from 1864,taking audience on a musical journey through time and place.
Highlights included “Smile,” composed by Chaplin for his 1936 film Modern Times. Its themes of hope,resilience still ring true. Another standout was “Something Wonderful,” Broadway classic by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, exploring love,understanding.
Rao stressed music's role in diplomacy,calling it reliable language bridging divides. “Music is last act of diplomacy,” she stressed,highlighting its power in tense times .
Show wrapped with Dylan’s “Farewell Angelina,” haunting take on an uncertain world,echoing Huddle’s theme “A World in Transition.” Rao’s soulful rendition,with Rodrigo’s piano,gave event a poetic finish. But what next for a world in flux…
