IAF band to train Afghan military in martial music

New Delhi, March 18: The Indian Air Force's air warrior symphony orchestra (ASWO) is set to teach military

tunes and perhaps some Hindustani compositions to Afghanistan's armed forces. The orchestra will provide training to 10 Afghan officers for six months on developing basic skills like reading notations, playing instruments and even selecting the right kind of instruments. "The Afghanistan government had requested its Indian counterpart to train some of its armed forces officers," ASWO director Pramod Kumar Jena told here. The Afghan officers will be trained at Jalahalli in Bangalore, where the ASWO is based. "We will also help them buy some instruments from here and might even donate some to them," Jena said. A 75-member team of ASWO will visit Afghanistan in June as part of a friendly exchange programme. The orchestra had earlier trained a Sri Lankan military band but it has not conducted any training for the past 10 years. During the IAF's Platinum Jubilee year, the ASWO will perform at various places, and bands of armed forces from other countries have also been invited to India, said Jena. "At the ASWO, we play every type of music, be it classical or jazz, and have various percussion and other instruments," he said. "Indian music is loved by people in neighbouring countries, including Afghanistan. It will not be a surprise if they express a desire to pick some popular Indian tunes. We will not mind teaching them those as well," Jena said. Bureau Report