MUMBAI: Pakistani renowned ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali is hurt and sad after his concert in Mumbai was cancelled following threats from Shiv Sena.
Ali said he aims at spreading the message of love and peace through his music, and that his admiration for India remains unstirred.
“I am not angry, but I am a bit hurt and sad. But there can be sad moments in love as well. I don’t know why such situations and conflicts arise. We have performed in Mumbai on several occasion before and people have always showered their love on us. Whenever such news come out, it causes commotion in society,” the veteran told NDTV.
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The 75-year-old singer was scheduled to perform in Mumbai and Pune this week as part of the fourth death anniversary tribute to late singer Jagjit Singh. But the show in Mumbai was called off on Wednesday after Shiv Sena threatened to disrupt his live concert.
The world renowned musician said the cancellation was disappointing as the concert was a tribute to Jagjit Singh, who was like a brother to him.
“The programme was important for me as it marked Jagjit’s death anniversary. And that’s why I got tense and thought that the move was wrong. It should not have happened. Jagjit was like a brother to me and whenever I met him we looked like one, not from India or Pakistan,” he said.
The ghazal singer also said that borders between countries cannot restrict the music from streaming into the hearts of people.
“I would like to tell Indians to remain in ‘sur’, love each other and keep listening to us – be it live or recorded,” said the singer, who made an entry in Indian cinema with his popular song ‘Chupke Chupke Raat Din’ for B.R. Chopra’s ‘Nikaah’.
Ghulam Ali also said that he wants to spread love, not hatred with his songs.
“We spread love with our music across the globe and have always tried to do this in my 45-year-old career. I am only hungry for love,” he said.
The concert in Mumbai was scheduled to be held at the iconic Shanmukhananda Hall, a favourite venue for Shiv Sena functions since several decades. The tribute to Jagjit Singh was specially brought to India through ‘Ek Ehsaas’ concerts, which provides a platform to connect people through music.
