I have just returned from LaMakaan which hosted a wonderful evening of music and good cheer courtesy a great performance by the Deccan Voices, a group of amateur singers from diverse backgrounds and cultures, all brought together onto a single harmonic platform by their unbridled love for music.

The smile on the singers’ faces throughout the evening was but a reflection of the pure joy they felt as they sang their hearts away. Led by Joe Coster with his piano, the group meandered through the peaks and valleys of different forms of music – from a medley of the Beatles to Jazz to Frank Sinatra to Carols with even a French Song by bassist Bernard Genevois for whom the occasion was a touching farewell to Hyderabad after 4 years here.

The venue was packed with a lot of music lovers hanging on as standing passengers on this wonderful ride into melodyland. And the string of applause was unhesitating and heartfelt as the voices kept singing, most of the time together, and sometimes alone. The weather was just right for a snuggle and the steaming hot cups of tea that LaMakaan serves.

English Theatre Groups needs to learn from this group. The harmony was flawless because there was no aberration of accents. Unlike an English play by local groups that features (normally) a hotch potch of accents ranging from the stiff British to the loose American and even to the drawly Kakinada, these voices of the Deccan were in perfect sync and the result was there for everyone to see…or hear.

But that apart, the music was a collection of favourites and had the audience humming along if not outright singing aloud. And everyone went home believing that THEY had indeed sung with the group, and sung well at that. Congratulations to the Deccan Voices who’ve established that there is more to the Deccan than the legendary ghazals and qawallis.

They truly make the English language sing.