Anoushka Shankar to tour India in December

Internationally acclaimed sitarist Anoushka Shankar will be travelling to India for a six-city tour in December for her new album "Land of Gold".

The album was released on Deutsche Grammophon earlier this summer.

Launching on December 2 and culminating on December 11, Anoushka will travel to cities like Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad.

"Land of Gold" embraces electronics and cross-genre collaborations, and is Anoushka's fervent response to the humanitarian trauma of displaced people fleeing conflict and poverty.

Organised by her management company, Alchemist Marketing Solutions, this will be Anoushka's fifth countrywide solo tour of India.

"'Land of Gold' is the culmination of my journey to the interior, channelling my distress at the situation in a constructive way, exploring the stories of the voiceless and dispossessed," Anoushka said in a statement.

"The central message of 'Land of Gold' is the recognition of the resilience of the human spirit and of our capacity to find the place where enduring hope resides.

"Everyone is, in some way or another, searching for their own 'Land of Gold': a journey to a place of security, connectedness and tranquillity, which they can call home," she added.

Anoushka feels that the "idea of millions of people being driven out of their homes", is not a political issue, but a "humanitarian issue".

"I'm not pretending I can change the world, or to be an expert on social and political affairs. But I certainly have a right to say when something is wrong," she said.

"It's important to be a part of a culture and community, and to be a positive influence in every aspect of my life that I can," she added.

--IANS

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