To the Resilience of the Human Spirit

CNN/IBN - New Delhi, India
Monday, June 11, 2007

For the first time ever, musicians as diverse as Sufi singers, monks and performers from Tamil Nadu came together to create music in Mumbai.

The Laya concert at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) was unique for the simple reason that it celebrated the love of music from six different countries.

But apart from the music, the bond that these musicians shared was that they were all survivors of the Tsunami that hit Asia on December 26, 2004, taking with it lakhs of lives.

The Laya Project was born when the producers from Earth Sync, a group based in Chennai, travelled through the Tsunami-affected villages of Myanmar, Indonesia, South India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Maldives.

They collected music along the way that went beyond borders, religion and language.
"We went to look for common people who found joy in music even after a tsunami,” said the music producer of the Laya Project, Jacob Paul.

Another producer of the project, Sonya Mazumdar, said, “It’s amazing how similar we all are. We are from six different countries but we are so similar.”

The project is a tribute by these musicians to the resilience of the human spirit and is dedicated to the survivors of the Asian Tsunami.

The music CDs are already in stores, along with a unique DVD that chronicles the visual and musical journey through these countries.

[To watch the video, click on the title above]