Yanni faces the music

Suparn Verma in Agra

Before his concert began in the water melon fields beneath the Taj Mahal, Yanni decided to find out what was agitating the farmers who owned the fields.

The farmers had sown the water melon seeds and were supposed to get the money for the seeds. But they only got Rs 1,500, they complained, and thereafter began agitating. Yanni apologised to them saying, "I'm very, very sorry for the inconvenience caused to the farmers... All I wanted was to perform the concert and honour India." He was speaking at a press conference organised following reports that the farmers proposed to immolate themselves if their demands were not met. The farmers hastily denied it.

Venkat Vardhan, managing director of organiser DNA, said the farmers were paid between Rs 3,500 and Rs 4,000. "We had a meeting with the district magistrate on Tuesday night and we saw the receipts yesterday and found them in order," he said.

Farmer Bipti Ram of Kutchpura backed off when Yanni himself came up. "We are happy with Yanni and we are happy with the money we have received. We have no complaints," he said contritely, spoiling the fun for many newspersons seeking a controversy.

Yanni gazed at the craggy, wrinkled face of the 70 year old, and commented in New Age wonder, "He has the most beautiful face I have ever seen. I have never seen such expressive eyes. Though I don't understand the language, his eyes tell me everything." All that without Bipti Ram even winking at him.

Bipti Ram was as obscure, if not as poetic: "We have fought enough, now whatever happens, happens for good. We were with Yanniji. We had tea," he said, adding with relish, "and those lovely foreign peanuts".

In an interview on Tuesday Yanni had said he would meet the farmers to ensure the money his group had given the Uttar Pradesh government had reached the farmers safely.

When Yanni was asked how he felt now that the Supreme Court had given the concert the go-ahead, the beaming composer replied, "I'm very satisfied; at last we can go ahead with the concert." Asked why he has been consistently refusing interviews, he told a colleague, "I think it would be better if I rehearsed more and put up a good show, instead of talking about it, because that is better than putting up a bad show."

A philosopher musician, no less.