Pakistani Band to Fuse Peace in Indian Concert

Music for a noble cause, and this year, it’s not just a journey beyond barriers, but beyond borders, too. On December 23, the St Xavier’s College grounds will reverberate with the beats of Strings — the duo of Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood from Pakistan, MTV veejay-turned-singer Sophiya and popstar Shibani.

‘It’s an effort to bring together the two cultures through music,’ explains Swati Gautam of St Xavier’s College Alumni Association, which is organising the event — the sixth chapter of Beyond Barriers. ‘It’s the only ticketed show on the college campus and like every year, we would like to raise funds through this year’s programme as well,’ adds Gautam. The association plans to raise ‘at least Rs 15 lakh’ through ticket sales, stalls and sponsors at Beyond Barriers.

It will be the first live performance in the city for Strings (though they have been to Calcutta before) as well as Sophiya, who is currently riding on the crest of the Indipop charts with her covers of old Bollywood hits…