Excerpts from the Inaugural Speech by Mr. Bob Kerr (Consul for Public Affairs, US Consulate General, Chennai)

                                                                                                  May 25, 2010
I am thrilled to help inaugurate Unwind Center this afternoon.  Earlier in April my first engagement in Chennai was to participate in a jazz event at the Unwind Center there, and it could not have been welcoming. I was immediately impressed by the welcoming setting and the enthusiasm of the Unwind Center team.
 
The Unwind Center in Chennai, as will be the Unwind Center in Kochi, is a wonderful setting for people who love music. In Chennai it inspired a real mixing of cultures. During the jazz workshop a Carnatic singer joined the group, combining her singing style with the jazz background, and we honestly thought that a new musical genre was formed.

I know that the Unwind Center has a great future as it has had a great past. Eleven years and now 6 centers. I know that in the next 2 years there will be six more centers.
 
I love your history and your commitment to pioneering events.  The Jazz Revival, the Summer of Love, the Underground Competition, the Metalise, the Unplugged, and Unwind Christmas, to name a few.
 
And I love your commitment to music for music's sake. No Drugs. No Tobacco. No Profanity. No Sexual Suggestiveness. Music that won't make Mom nervous. Which, leads me to ask... what is the Summer of Love really about?!? (Laughs!!)
 
But once again, congratulations. And I know in my heart that this new venture will be a great success!
 
BOB KERR
Consul for Public Affairs,
US Consulate General, Chennai