Sajeev K Peter

KUWAIT: Indian Naval Symphony Band offered a fitting finale to the visit of the three Indian naval ships to Kuwait with a riveting musical concert at the Indian Embassy hall on October 6. With the vocal support of Kuwait Choral Chambers, the naval band presented an engrossing ensemble, capturing the hearts and minds of the music enthusiasts that consisted of ambassadors, Kuwaiti dignitaries and Indian community members.

Popular Kuwaiti singer Mubarak Al-Rashed opened the concert with a popular Hindi song. This was followed by an ensemble of some evergreen Western and Hindi pop numbers, besides some popular Indian patriotic numbers. The band showcased its skill as young sailor musicians played instruments like the xylophone, the glockenspiel and tubular bells with considerable agility and ease.

Indian Naval Symphony Band has, over the years, evolved into an excellent musician-led ensemble. Various conductors of the band in its history have increased the range of its repertoire to include arrangements of symphonies, solos, concertos and other forms of contemporary music that includes Indian classical and Western pop music.

Indian Ambassador Sibi George honored captains of the three ships - Capt Sarvpreet Singh, Capt Randip Ghosh and Capt Parithosh Pathak - following the concert. Indian naval ships INS TIR, INS Sujatha and Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarathi concluded their five-day visit to Kuwait on October 7.