It would break Brad Pitt's heart.
Not because his bodyguards roughed up journalists in India during the shooting of A Mighty Heart, a film based on the life of the slain American journalist Daniel Pearl. But the fact that Pearl would not have liked a movie to be made after him in the first place. Or so, Lester Godinho, a Dubai-based musician who spent many hours in Daniel's company in Mumbai and Goa, would have us believe.
"Danny was a very simple, down-to-earth guy who never liked to attract attention. I am sure he would never have liked a Hollywood movie that would tell the story of his life. Hollywood would be far too much unwanted attention for his liking.
"Even though he was quite approachable as an individual, he mostly remained quite reserved. He was only sociable with people he knew well."
Lester, 49, a drum instructor who has been living and working in Dubai for nearly a year, first met Daniel in 2001 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Goa where he played music regularly.
"One day Danny came with his wife for brunch and watched us play. He knew one of my bandmates quite well who introduced me to Daniel after the performance. Daniel came over to me and thanked me for playing his request for The Girl from Ipanema by Antonio Carlos Jobim."
No Airs
"We then sat down and chatted over a few drinks. He had no airs at all. No one could tell he was a journalist with a high-profile newspaper like The Wall Street Journal."
According to Lester, who has worked with top Bollywood music directors and has made music for over 50 Bollywood movies, the most remarkable thing about Daniel was his love of music.
"He was a great lover of music and an accomplished musician himself. He loved retro, classical, funk and most of all jazz. He had a large collection of music at his Mumbai apartment and played various musical instruments.
Unforgettable Memories
"His doors were always open to musicians. He would get on very well with them, many of whom would often go to his place for jam sessions."
One such musician is Colin D'Cruz, the bass guitarist with a Mumbai-based band called Jazz Junction. He has many unforgettable memories of Daniel.
Speaking from Mumbai, Colin said, "Danny first saw me play at a restaurant in Mumbai called Soul Fry way back in 1999. He was listening to our music with the attentiveness only a fellow musician could display. After I finished playing we chatted informally and that's when he told me he loved playing the fiddle.
"Music was his first love. He once told me he worked as a journalist so he could pay for his passion. During one of our jam sessions together he expressed a desire to play for my band. We gladly invited him.
Passionate Musician
"Despite his professional commitments he made time to perform with us at many upmarket Mumbai restaurants including Liquid Lounge, Indigo and Soul Fry."
Colin then recounted his first visit to Daniel's house to attend his wife's birthday party.
"His house had an entire room dedicated to musical instruments: a mandolin, a bass guitar, a keyboard and his specially designed electronic violin. It was like a studio set-up. His lounge was packed with music CDs he had picked up from around the world. You could not believe it was a journalist's house."
During the same visit Colin had his most unforgettable experience with Daniel.
Unpretentious Danny
"The party was organised at his swanky flat and I was expecting some bigwigs to be present at the party. But the people he had invited were street vendors, newspaper delivery boys, staff of a nearby grocery store, just about anyone he had daily contact with. That's how unpretentious he was."
Daniel Pearl World Music Days
- The Daniel Pearl Foundation launched the first Daniel Pearl World Music Days on October 10, 2002, which would have been Danny's 39th birthday.
- World Music Days is held every year in the month of October. The event has united thousands of musicians from over 60 countries in a global network of concerts promoting harmony for humanity.
In the line of duty
Daniel Pearl was an American journalist who was kidnapped and murdered in Karachi, Pakistan. In July 2002, a British national of Pakistani origin was sentenced to death for his abduction and death
