My heart has been soaring this week, ever since I attended the Zubin Mehta concert with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra on April 20, to celebrate his 80th birthday on home ground. This concert featured the more popular arias — “popera” my friend called it — whereas the first two concerts at the NCPA’s Bhabha Theatre featured more classical music. But, I wasn’t in Mumbai then, and returned just in time for the last, open air concert at the Brabourne Stadium. It is absolutely presumptuous to hold a western classical music concert in a cricket stadium — Zubin, or no Zubin — and the fact that there was an excellent turnout — and rather soigne at that — is a sign that Mumbai can be civilised too. OK, let’s admit: the audience was substantially a sea of Parsis. Every Bawa in town had turned up, including extremely senior citizens plodding with walkers, and others in wheelchairs. Overall, it was a good place for Parsi matrimonial prospects: the entire Parsi universe was parked between rows AA and ZZ. Hats off to the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation and its partners for pulling off this massive event, including the 90-piece orchestra, with such well-organised panache.

Andrea Bocelli and Zubin Mehta at a concert celebrating the latter’s 80th birthday. Pic/Suresh Karkera