Indian fans of the U.K. rock band Coldplay were in for a surprise on Thursday morning as news of the band’s frontman, Chris Martin, playing an acoustic set at a cafe in the city went viral.
Thousands of fans posted in disbelief that Chris Martin had sung in their very own Hauz Khaz village and they were not present to hear him.
Coldplay has a significant fan following in India despite never having performed in the country. Those present at the gig tweeted about his performance and shared videos of him singing a few of his popular songs.
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Martin was accompanied by Slumdog Millionaire actor Freida Pinto, musicians Vishal Dadlani and Raghu Dixit and a few members from the popular comedy group AIB to Summer House Café where he broke into an impromptu gig. Explaining how it happened, Dadlani tweeted: “It wasn’t an event. We were at a dinner together, and he just went ‘let’s go play somewhere’! And, boom!”
It was not all about fun and singing as Chris Martin and Freida Pinto are in India to work with Oxfam India. Martin visited the project site of Oxfam India’s partner, Empowerment for Rehabilitation Academic and Health (EFRAH), in the resettlement colony of Madanpur Khadar on the outskirts of Delhi.
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The Coldplay singer called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with a delegation from the Global Poverty Project.
He also met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
During their trip to India, Chris Martin and Freida Pinto will meet key government leaders, non-profit partners in the water, sanitation and hygiene space, and participate in field visits to see innovative projects addressing sanitation in local communities throughout India.