Many years ago, I began to wonder, what us, ordinary citizens, can do to contribute to public diplomacy. What could we do, without holding posts and power, to bring greater unity and better relations between India and the world. And very quickly I found my answer – in the incredibly creative communities that all countries possess. The asset of the artists. The asset we don’t use nearly enough. That answer gave birth to the start of multiple collaborations between the Ministry of External Affairs of the Govt of India, and SEHER.
The two most popular collaborations were the SAARC Series, which is in India’s immediate neighborhood with Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Afghanistan, and has been implemented successfully since 2007.
And since 2017, the ASEAN-India Artist Camp and the ASEAN-India Music Festival as South Asia is key region for India’s foreign policy. The ASEAN India Music Festival, in particular, had a larger vision of transcending borders by getting the youth involved through their love for music. Music has never known boundaries and seamlessly crossed borders, as it does enchantingly on this platform that brings together artists from different countries together on one stage for an audience of thousands.
This year again, after two successful editions, the ASEAN-India Music Festival will take place from the November 29th to December 1st at the heritage site of Purana Qila in Central Delhi. The venue of the Old Fort itself was selected carefully to elevate the magic to another level, with musicians playing against the backdrop of the majestic heritage site. Simply no other natural backdrop in any country has the same spellbinding effect as what history has already blessed us with.
As the vision of the Festival is to create awareness, understanding, and enthusiasm for all ASEAN country artists, the festival is free, and open to all. Past years have attracted thousands of people ranging from 16-year-old students and youngsters, to those in the 70s, and included individuals in wheelchairs. Much detailed attention goes to every aspect of the program, so every lover of music can contribute to this festival of musical togetherness and unity and discover how there are more similarities – than dissimilarities – and more to love and appreciate in one another’s cultures.
As the Festival is telecasted live on the internet, it is also available globally. My team over the years has mastered the art of presentation and impeccable execution. Our festivals over the last two and a half decades can safely boast of being truly world class and the kind one sees in Central Park in New York or Hyde Park in London. Team Seher has raised the bar not only for ourselves but perhaps the entire live music industry in Asia.
In October 2017, when 25 years of ASEAN-India friendship was being celebrated, we at SEHER first conceptualized how we could utilize the soft power of public diplomacy, visual art, and music to bring the people of the region closer together. For the first time we got musicians from these ASEAN countries along with Indian musicians in the historic heritage city of Udaipur in Rajasthan for the first Udaipur World Music Festival. It proved to be a massive success and initiated enduring bonds of friendship and collaboration long after the festival was over.
Encouraged by the success, later, in 2022, when the countries were celebrating their 30th year of Dialogue Relations, SEHER brought together visual artists this time at Udaipur for a Visual Artists Camp and started the Music Festival at Purana Qila. Many fond memories and deep friendships were created at these events and paved the way for future collaborations between India and the ASEAN countries.
The paintings from the camp were exhibited at the ASEAN India Summit in Cambodia in November 2022, after which they were also taken to Jakarta and showcased at the Emiria Soenassa Gallery and, most notably, at the ASEAN Secretariat at a special exhibition, where the Secretary General of ASEAN and other dignitaries witnessed the iconic paintings, that were the result of the interaction and friendship at the ASEAN-India camp.
In 2024, as ASEAN and India celebrate their ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and the 10th anniversary of India’s Act East Policy, SEHER has envisioned bringing the artistic community from all member countries under one roof in Meghalaya this time. In this third edition of the ASEAN-India Artists Camp, SEHER will take it to another level, and has selected the picturesque city of Shillong in Meghalaya to emphasize the importance of Northeast of India as the Gateway to the ASEAN region.
Ten artists from all the ASEAN Member States, one from the observer country Timor-Leste, and 10 from India will come together on one platform to exchange their varied art styles and forms and learn from different schools of thought—exposing all artists to new experiences. The theme—Echoes of Ramayana: Artistic journeys across ASEAN and India—would allow participants from across countries to express their unique version of the shared mythology artistically.
Such exchanges between artists help create a sacred space where all prejudged assumptions about each other are broken, and instead a new understanding and friendship are developed. In the exchange of ideas and life stories, many commonalities are found, and a lifetime of memories is made. Going back to their own countries at the end of their time together, they take back real stories of ‘the other’ to share with their people. Such exchanges go beyond cultural, linguistic, and religious barriers to contribute to more peace, unity, collaboration, cooperation, and lifelong friendships.
