ACTOR Meneka Das recalls posing as a choir member and gate-crashing a rehearsal at a church in west London to pitch an idea to choirmaster Paul Ayers, who was rehearsing with his choir there. “He looked at me for a moment; his expressions a mix of curiosity and surprise,” shares Das. The idea in question was an international choir arrangement of Aaya masih, a traditional Hindi carol sung across India during Christmas, written by Das’ late father, Nirmal K Das, a veteran music composer himself.

Nirmal K Das with his wife Joy