THE Pakistani band Lal, united on stage with the Asian Dub Foundation, ending their joint concert with a rousing rendition of Mast Qalandar.
Tabla maestro Zakir Hu- sain, playing with the Lon- don Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Zane Dalal, did the UK premiere of his latest creation, Peshkar.
Also as part of Alchemy, I also managed to catch a medley of film songs by KJ Yesudas, who sang in several Indian languages.
Inside the Southbank, I found performance artist Nikhil Chopra “shaving” as part of his continuous 84-hour act. His artwork on the windows in oil pas- tel is of a high order.
Outside the food stalls were buzzing like a Mum- bai bazaar of old. I came across Sheikh Rehana, who was thrilled that her MP daughter Tulip Siddiq had had a baby daughter, Azalea. She will certainly grow up in a Britain where Asian arts will be part of the mainstream.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK StalinGetty images
