In 2006, while strolling along Jermyn Street in London, Khushroo N Suntook chanced upon a performance at the local church, St James’ Piccadilly. It was led by Marat Bisengaliev, a violin virtuoso and his ensemble of 20 Kazakh musicians. “Bisengaliev was almost like the Shah Rukh Khan of western classical music with a massive following. His performance was so good that I decided to go approach him. Tepidly, I went backstage and invited him to perform in India,” recalls the chairman of Mumbai’s NCPA (National Centre for Performing Arts). “Everybody thought I was half mad,” he adds with a laugh. Bisengaliev, too, was incredulous at first, but he gave in eventually.