"Shukriya, very much" - A "thank
you" in Hindi from the professor arouses more cheers from the crowd. It
was the second day of the event that spanned three remarkable evenings. For the
common music and art enthusiast in India, this was just a sneak peek into the
virgin world of Latin America - something we see and hear only in documentary
channels highlighting the rich history or diverse wildlife. Fiesta Latino
Americano was the result of a coordinated effort between Indian Council ofCultural Relations (ICCR) and the Embassies of Argentina, Colombia and
Mexico.
For first-timers like me, this was a window of
opportunity to have a closer look and feel of various kinds of music and
performing arts from Latin America. Day 1 saw the foot-tapping numbers of
Afro-Colombian music for the common man of the city streets, presented by
award-winning band "Mama Julia y Los Sonidos Ambulantes" from
Colombia. They knew they are performing in front of a totally foreign audience
who don't have a clue about what is coming up, and hence took pains to explain
their music in English.
Day 2 bloomed with the sweet smiles of Ballet
folklorico presented by representatives of the University of Veracruz, Mexico
accompanied by Tlen Huicani - a group of musicians in Mexico specializing on
regional Mexican music from different states and regions. Viewers were swept
off their feet at the amazing level of coordination of the rhythms and the movements of the salsa dancers. Every tap of the foot, every turn of the
leg, every twist of the body appeared so much in sync no matter how far on the
stage the dancers were, from each other. They presented Ranchero and other
forms of music originated from different states of Mexico. A bold move from the
male dancer asking the audience to follow his steps counting "ek, doh,
teen" (one, two, three) made the audience cheer out loud before joining
him.
After
several songs and dances, the professor and his team just took off their
colourful traditional shawls, to reveal shining white shirts and trousers.
To a
disappointed crowd thinking that the event just came to an end, the professor
explained "Now, we present the music of Veracruz.. we all are from
Veracruz. Our traditional costume is all white.. see? white shirt, white
trousers, white shoes, and ..mmm...maybe this too!" pointing to his head
emphasizing the shining white hair, much to the crowd's joy. In a country where
elders (especially the ones with white hair) are openly respected, there was no
wonder why we shouldn't stand up and cheer for him.
The audience were mesmerised on the final and
concluding day by "Tango Emotion" the brain child of ace musician
and national music professor Enrique Cuttini and his team from Argentina. His
Excellency El Ambajador de la Argentina indicated us to "just close your
eyes and enjoy the music." The tango dancers elevated the spirits of the
audience with their rhythmic moves making sure no one even dares to blink.
Professor Cuttini is a man of small stature and
a smile as sweet and innocent as a child. He did not need to ask the audience
to clap their hands to the rhythm of the music many times, unlike his
predecessors did during the previous days' performances. We were actually
clapping hands to the rhythms of tango. Part of the group was an amazing
vocalist who walks on to the stage with such ease despite knowing that the
majority of us who cheer for him don’t have a clue about what the lyrics say.
The whole exercise taught us Delhi-ites a valuable lesson – when it comes to music,
you don’t always need to understand the lyrics to feel it. Sometimes the
feeling the music itself is sufficient.
bus, it covers 18 key destinations in Delhi, and that the boarding pass for a day would cost me Rupees 300 (approximately US $7). 
