Open Letter to Bob Seger

Subject: Back to K-K-Kathmandu!

Dear Mr. Seger,

Would you be interested in headlining a rock festival next year in Kathmandu?

Forty years ago, Kathmandu was a symbol of the counter culture that changed our world. The hippie generation that was inspired by drugs and dharma also put Nepal on the map. Tourism has been good for Nepal, in many ways, yet there are persistent as well as new problems. Cultural treasures have been lost to art thieves and general neglect. This past year, there were three terrible blows to tourism in Nepal: the assassination of the royal family, 9-11, and the escalation of the Maoist insurgency.

As a step toward revitalizing tourism in Nepal, we have proposed an international rock festival to be held in October 2003. The strategy would be to bring together the dinosaurs of the rock era (Santana, the Stones, the Silver Bullet…) and all those erstwhile hippies, now established citizens. We would schedule a couple of weeks of concerts, including not just classic rock bands but also young Nepali musicians. Our objective would be to raise money to complete a major restoration of the central temple area of Kathmandu, a World Heritage Site that has for years been threatened with “de-listing” due to non-compliance with maintenance guidelines.

Your participation could be critical to the success of this event: your song Kathmandu would, of course, be the central theme, and it is one that all rock fans recognize. Given the venue, the nostalgia, and the potential for resurrecting rock philanthropy – an appropriate homage to George Harrison – it is not unrealistic to foresee an event of substantial proportions, with CD(s), movie, and the possibility of a substantial economic and ideological impact.

I should stress that you would have considerable latitude in defining the nature of your participation. You could do one gig, or multiple appearances. There would be the possibility of a “master class” workshop with Nepali musicians. It would also be the ideal season for a trek any of several nearby Himalayan destinations. I believe that this visit would prove to you that you were right all along – if you ever get out of here, the place to go really is Kathmandu.

We look forward to your response!

Sincerely,

Seth Sicroff
Director, Bridges-PRTD