Pakistani ghazal maestro Ghulam
Ali performed at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata in front of a packed
audience. Ghulam Ali thanked West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on
Tuesday for inviting him and thereby ending his ‘udasi ka din’.
Last year in October, Ghulam Ali’s concerts in Mumbai and Pune faced huge protest from Shiv Sena and his tour was
cancelled in Pune and Mumbai. Following the ban, Banerjee had
then expressed her disgust and extended an invitation to Ali to perform in
Kolkata.
Praising Mamata Banerjee, Ghulam Ali said, “Aj mera udasi ka din khatm hua
hai. Mai Mamata Banerjee ko uske liye dhanyavad de raha hu”.
CM Mamata Banerjee used this occasion to preach ‘tolerance’. She quoted from
Swami Vivekananda to prove her point of practising tolerance and asked, “How
would we survive without tolerance?”
“An artist has no borders. Music has no borders. An artist belongs to the
whole world,” she said, adding, “Kolkata loves you and would like to see you
again.”
Thousands gathered at the Netaji Indoor stadium to enjoy Ghulam Ali’s song.
"I am always happy whenever I go anywhere, but this time I am very happy.
I used to visit Kolkata often but this year it seems I am coming after 50
years," Ali said.
Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who also attended the event, thanked Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee for having the singer among us. "We had given up hope
few months ago due to the kind of atmosphere that was created in Mumbai,"
Bhatt said.
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