New Delhi: India's support to the people of New Orleans ? following hurricane Katrina ? has received a musical response.
The Mardi Gras Indian collective, a musical group from New Orleans was in New Delhi on Sunday to say thank you.
In keeping with the sentiments of the hurricane aftermath, the group performed songs on hope and belief.
Jamal, a member of Mardi Gras Indian Collective - which was formed in 1988 - says, "We just wish to give something back and basically say thank you."
We don?t have any money. What we're basically here for is to portray our culture and tell you what we do back there in New Orleans, he added.
But it was their signature style of presentation and chanting as well as their colourful costumes, which had swept Delhi off its feet.
Talking of his performance Jamal says, "You know its not something you write down, its not something that you plan, its spontaneous actions followed by words and how you present yourself and how you feel. Its more or less a spiritual upliftment."
While New Orleans is known mainly for being the hub of jazz, groups like the Mardi Gras showcases the other flavour of the city, one that is rooted in festivity and tradition.
With three albums to their credit, the group is on a musical mission that will take it to all the countries that came together to support its city in a calamity that has also left it with hardly any venues to play at anymore.
They represent the black Indian community of New Orleans, once settled on the outskirts of the city over a hundred years ago.
With tradition deeply rooted in their music, the band gave Delhites an audio-visual treat they'd long remember.
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