| Hola interview -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted and translation by Alioska from TSARM In June many foreign residents of India, were following the recommendations of the embassies and packing their bags to leave the country because of the imminent danger of war with Pakistan, extreme danger because both of these countries possess nuclear arms. At the same time Ricky Martin y Esther Ca�adas landed in Calcutta despite the warnings. Although each of them traveled on his own , their motivation was the same, to bring in the middle of the danger of war a message of peace. Concentrating on their work with the Sabera Foundation in Calcutta where girls, coming from the streets in the area called the �City of Happiness� ( where they lived in the most absolute misery and where Calcutta has the most poor, those with neither smiles nor dignity). Now they had found a roof over their heads and a promising future given because of the arrangement that the Foundation has. Ricky Martin at his arrival at Calcutta, where he was met by Esther Ca�adas, International Director for the Sabera Foundation. The singer was surrounded by the enthusiasn of the girls at the Foundation who threw flower petals in his path (right) and later carried out the Hindu ritual of piling mountains of necklaces also of flowers (lower left) as a sign of welcome. Ricky Martin traveled to keep his word: to record a song which would form a part of a CD called �Sabera for peace� and would include stars of song and films, both Hispanic and anglosaxon, (among them: Elton John, Pavarotti, Alejandro Sanz, Pen�lope Cruz, Antonio banderas, Sting, Melanie Griffith...). Esther, the most internacional of the Spanish �top-models� traveled in the capacity of the International Director of Sabera and as such acted as hostess for the great latin singing star. Everyone was aware of the warning to not travel in the area. On the other side members of the singers entourage expressed their desire that he not go to India. Ricky, nevertheless, despite their suggestions and advise (He went as far as to say, �He who wants to will come and he who doesn�t, won�t go�) presented himself in Calcutta in his private plane. The Airport authorities didn�t believe what they were hearing when the pilot of the plane asked for permission to land. Nor did the personnel in the Airport believe what they saw: a smiling Ricky Martin and an euphoric hug from Nacho Cano, founder of Sabera who had gone to accompany Esther Ca�adas who had just arrived hours earlier. A CALL FROM RICKY Since 1997 Ricky Martin had an idea about the humanitarian work that Nacho had begun in Calcutta. And that was when he called the composer and singer to show his interest. �I got a call� said Nacho Cano, �from Ra�l L�pez, director of Sony. He told me: �Since you know so much about India. I�m going to pass you to Ricky. He wants to go there.�,We talked and finally, Ricky said to me:�If you need help one day, call me.�. and that�s how it happened. Last year, Nacho sent Ricky a video about Sabera that he made with Penelope Cruz, urging him to take part in some new projects of the Foundation. The singer called Nacho and told him: �I don�t want to just take part, I want to go to Calcutta�. And Now, when Pen�lope y Melanie Griffith decided as executive producers to record a CD with latin and anglosaxon stars, Ricky said yes: �I�m going to India and I want to participate on the recording. I want to record my song in Calcutta. Besides I want to do what you do and help with a �Rescue� of some girls that live in the street. I want to take them from that and be responsible for their care and training for the rest of their lives..� FROM THE PLANE TO THE �RESCUE� The first thing that Ricky said to Nacho Cano as he was greeting him, �Let�s go look for those girls.� The Spanish composer told us� �I suggested that he rest a while at the hotel, but he insisted. �No, first things first.� So I took him to Suuder Street, a street where we knew that there were three girls living with their mother under a piece of plastic. Three girls that were in absolute misery staying alive only by begging. Three girls who in truth, were visited by a guardian angel. Once under the plastic that served as their roof, we spoke with their mother and got her permission to take them to the Sabera Foundation. At the Foundation nobody could believe that they were truly seeing what happend. Ricky Martin was there, in spite of all the difficulties, in spite of the danger of war, in spite of everything. In the days before, the disappointment had taken hold of everyone, and they thought that at the last moment the singer had decided not to come and not to take unnecessary risks. Even though he had only come to record a song to benefit the Foundation, Ricky Martin, during the four days that he stayed in Calcutta, wanted to know about all the acitivites of Sabera from the incense factory to the tuberculosis hospital, from the music school that is named after Alejandro Sanz, its sponsor to the Fashion School that is subsidized by it�s patron Esther Ca�adas. UN POEM BY RABINDRANTH TAGORE For the recording of the song by Ricky Martin a music studio was constructed practically in the jungle. They had to work double shifts to be sure that everything would be ready when the singer arrived in India (the first few days of June , which was the only opening Ricky had in his schedule.) all this so he could use it for the first time. Ricky had agreed to compose a song based on a poem by the Nobel Prize winner Rabindranth Tagore using rhythms that would have a Hindu flavor. The day after his arrival in Calcutta, Ricky began the effort with the Sabera Members. He had been working on his own on it for days. They have yet to give a title to the song. PLAYER FOR REAL MADRID...OF CALCUTA During his stay Ricky visited the soccer club, Real Madrid ...of Calcutta. It�s a team of boys that is sponsored by Michel, a former soccer player for Real Madrid and a part of the restaurant La Misi�n, in Madrid. The singer was not content with that and decided to jump onto the field and play a game with them. Showing , for sure, his ability with the ball and his great form SABERA RESTAURANTS Ricky also was interested in the new project that the Foundation has in progress: the creation of a chain of Sabera restaurants which will specialize in Hindu food and will be run by girls from the Foundation. The singer was included in the Park Hotel kitchens, where a group of girls are receiving free cooking classes and on this day were in charge of making the dishes for the chain of restaurants that Sabera will open. left Ricky martin in a fun moment with a group of the girls at the music school that Alejandro Sanz is sponsoring. Above Ricky and Esther pose with Sabera girls that are in the chorus for the song that the Puerto Rican star recorded for the CD �Sabera for Peace� Below surrounded by the team of cooks at the Park Hotel in Calcutta, Ricky Martin poses with two girls from Sabera that are taking cooking classes in the hotel and one day will work the net of Sabera restaurants, Above right, Ricky Martin recording with a group of girls that are a part of the choir. Right the singer also visited the Fashion School of Esther Ca�adas, where the girls prepare clothing designed by the model. Below right, a fun picture of Ricky with two of the apprentice coo ZOIDA, ASHIRA Y ANURA As he was leaving Calcutta, Ricky Martin told us: �In arriving at the Sabera Foundation I felt an enormous emotion seeing the faces of more than one hundred girls who always wore a smile and I could see the happiness that they had feeling protected and loved in a home where everywhere they breathe in love. Love from the mothers that decided to live together with their daughters and care for them and at the same time the other girls; Love on the part of the personnel who work for Sabera. After all that, the only thing you can perceive is love, a lot of love. And he also talked to us of the girls that he adopted: �On the 5th of June three beautiful girls came into my life: Zoida, Ashira y Anura. The rescue of the girls from the street was without a doubt, for me I can assure you the most beautiful human experience I have ever had. To know that from this time on they can have a secure home where you know that they are going to eat, sleep and be educated.., to have been able to share four days together with them and all the girls at the Foundation, more than words the photos can give you an idea of the marvelous moments that we have lived here. I will return soon.� |