Zubin Mehta Mural Unveiled in New Delhi’s Lodhi Art District

A new mural featuring a large portrait of the conductor Zubin Mehta, alongside an orchestra, has been unveiled in the Lodhi Art District of New Delhi.

The mural was commissioned by the Israeli embassy in India and painted by the Delhi-based art group ImageNation. Its lead artist, Deepak Saini, had never met Mehta, so instead he searched for a reference image of the conductor that he found striking.

Mehta hails originally from Mumbai and was introduced to classical music through listening to his father’s record collection. He also has strong cultural connections with Israel, having been appointed Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in 1977 and being named Conductor for Life in 1981.

In January 2026, however, he attracted attention around the world by cancelling his appearances in Israel in protest of the policy enacted by Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that he “can’t agree” with colleagues who don’t take a stance on political issues.

He is involved with Daniel Barenboim‘s West-East Divan Orchestra, a Spain-based orchestra whose mission is to bring together Israeli and Palestinian players in friendship.

The commemoration ceremony, which was scheduled to coincide roughly with Mehta’s 90th birthday, was led by Reuven Azar, the Israeli ambassador to India.

In his speech, he noted that the Israel Philharmonic was founded “in a period when darkness was looming over Europe, when Jewish musicians were being fired and persecuted.”

He also spoke about the Polish-Jewish violinist Bronisław Huberman, who was instrumental in inviting Jewish musicians to join the orchestra, to give them an escape route from the Nazis.

“This is the same year (1936) that another famous musician was born, and that was Zubin Mehta, and for 70 years he has been working with the Israel Philharmonic,” Azar commented.