It's guns and roses in Afghanistan

When the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) invited city band Talaash to perform in Afghanistan, their first reaction was panic - what with Afghanistan's recent string of kidnappings and suicide bombings.
"Is this revenge for some past mistake?" band leader Rittesh Sahai asked the ICCR official.
"No, we want you to represent India at the Navroze festival in Mazaar-e-Sharif because your music is so rooted in the Indian soil," was the reply.
Now, a struggling band expects to have such dialogues with the musical establishment, but what ensued was only expecting the unexpected.
"The stereotypes and apprehensions just melted away from the moment we arrived in Kabul," says Rittesh, who returned to Pune earlier this month after the two-week Afghan tour.
"The average Afghan's love for India and things Indian is incredible. I dare say it's a tad more than that for Pakistan. And the country is as beautiful as Switzerland and easily has the economic potential of Singapore," adds Rittesh.
"The Afghans are religious but not overtly so. They certainly do not hold it against people of other religions. Of course, there are fundamentalists there, like there are in every society across the world," says Rittesh.
"We were worried about the reception to our music because Taliban had declared it blasphemous and banned it for years together," says Rahul Shrivastav, band guitarist and co-founder.
"However, Afghan enjoyment of music and their zest for life has to be seen to be believed. During the ban, people would hide under blankets to enjoy music on TV or radio, we were told. Although under threat from the Taliban, the Mazhar festival was a grand affair with musicians from all neighbouring countries performing, and thousands of people attending."
"It's a different matter altogether that the demand for Bollywood hits - the Qurbani qawwali - outstripped the response to any other music. But you can't blame them - old Mohd Rafi and Kishore Kumar songs are streaming constantly in the background, wherever you go. The mere mention of Amitabh Bachchan raises a roar of applause."
The band's tour included two stints in Kabul and travelling by road to Mazaar-e-Sharif and Herat - journeys that formed their view of the country and of life under heavy security.
"The road outside the Kabul embassy, for example, is a no-drive zone. And during the long drive to Mazhar, if you had to pee, you had to go in a large group for the fear of being kidnapped. The average ransom demand runs into hundreds of thousands you see," says Rittesh.
"It's a land of extremes," says guitarist singer Vibhor Pant, "The Datsun and Toyota trucks we would die for here are dime-a-dozen in Afghanistan. Anything that can be packaged by the US or Pakistan is abundant. So have as much Coke and Pepsi as you like, but safe drinking water, don't ask."
"Fat-bottomed sheep or dumba, cooked in its own juice and biryani overflowing with raisins are common delicacies, but the taste varies with every city and host. However, if you are vegetarian, be ready for a sustained dose of 'palak' curry," adds Vibhor.
"It was heartening to see women, though few in numbers, at our concerts and at the Kabul and Bulkh (Mazhar-e-Sharif) universities."
"I am sure his tour will inspire us to come up with more and better music - but my prayer is that music should never be banned in that beautiful land," he concludes.