Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 3: Pakistani ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali will perform at two venues in Kerala in January next year. His concerts scheduled in October in Mumbai and Pune were cancelled following threats from the Shiv Sena.
Swaralaya, a collective that promotes music and other art forms, will organise the concerts, the first of which is scheduled in Thiruvananthapuram on January 15. The second concert will be held in Kozhikode on January 17.Announcing the concert here at a press conference on Wednesday, M.A. Baby, CPI (M) Polit Bureau member and one of the moving spirits of Swaralaya, said Mr. Ali’s ghazals transcended national and geographic boundaries.“The news of the cancellation of Ghulam Ali’s concerts in India was saddening to us. Certain groups with negative intentions imposed a ban on his performances here. Since then, many of his fans have been speaking about the possibility of inviting him here. Swaralaya contacted him recently and he is glad to sing for the people here,” he said.
On whether he was concerned about any opposition to the programme, Mr. Baby said he did not foresee any issue. “We hope those who opposed him a few months ago have realised their mistake. The responsibility to provide him security is that of the State government,” he said.
After his concert was cancelled in October, Ghulam Ali had said that he was “not angry, but very hurt”.
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