Cancellation of Ghulam Ali concert in Mumbai draws flak

Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali.

Political parties and Bollywood celebrities on Thursday criticised the Shiv Sena for forcing the cancellation of a scheduled concert by renowned Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali in Mumbai and Pune.
Ghulam Ali, who has performed several times in Mumbai, Pune and other cities across India in recent years, was forced to back out of his scheduled performance at a concert in memory of the late Jagjit Singh after the Sena warned of disrupting the show.
Though Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had assured full security for the show, the organisers met Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aditya on Wednesday evening and agreed it was not right to have a Pakistani singer on the stage.
Aditya told the media that though he enjoyed Ghulam Ali's ghazals, Pakistani artistes should not be allowed to perform in India until the country stops its terror activities and ceases killing Indian soldiers. "Terrorism and culture cannot go hand in hand," he said. "We are not against music or art, but how can we enjoy when our soldiers are suffering."
Opposition parties including the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and even the BJP - the senior ally in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governments both in Delhi and in Mumbai - were critical of the Sena's stance.
A Congress spokesman said the Sena felt marginalised by the BJP, both at the centre and in Maharashtra, and was trying to make its presence felt by such petty politics. Differences between India and Pakistan are to be resolved by the central government, and art, culture and sports should not be involved in politics, he added.
Nawab Malik, the NCP spokesman, recalled that after the Kargil conflict, the late Sena chief Bal Thackeray had hosted Javed Miandad, the Pakistani cricketer, at his residence. "Art, culture and sports help break barriers and improve bilateral ties," he said, while condemning the Sena's double standards.
The Pakistani ghazal singer said he was not angry with the move, but felt hurt. "I have always got love in India," said Ghulam Ali. The concert at Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai was a tribute to the late Jagjit Singh, who was like a brother to him, he said.
Noted actress Shabana Azmi wondered in a tweet whether India was at war with Pakistan. Have the two countries severed diplomatic relations? So where was the justification to cancel Ghulam Ali's concert, she asked.
Music director Vishal Dadlani noted that Ghulam Ali's music was above and beyond politics. "If he can't perform, it will be our loss, not his," tweeted Vishal.
Earlier, Fadnavis had also said that it was wrong to drag in the ghazal singer into India-Pakistan politics. He had vowed full protection to the singer, but the organisers realised that it was not possible to defy the Shiv Sena and chose to pull out the Pakistani ghazal singer.
Meanwhile, the Arvind Kejriwal government on Thursday invited Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali to perform in India's national capital after his concert in Mumbai was cancelled due to Shiv Sena protests, saying 'music has no boundaries'.
Delhi Culture Minister Kapil Mishra said the Pakistani singer is welcome to come to Delhi for holding a performance.
"Sad that #GhulamAli is not being allowed in Mumbai, I invite him to come to Delhi and do the concert. Music has no boundaries. #BanTheBan (sic)," he wrote on Twitter. news@khaleejtimes.com

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