Author: Anuradha Raman
Publication: Indian Express
Date: March 12, 2003
As if the new low in Indo-Pak relations
was not bad enough, a group of Indian singers and filmmakers have begun
striking discordant notes, questioning why the Government is rolling out
the red carpet for Pakistani singers when Indians are not welcome across
the border.
Artistes Abhijeet, Rajeswari (daughter
of Lakhsmikant of the Pyarelal duo), Anup Jalota, filmmaker Shakti Samant
and Azad Kamal shot off letters to the Prime Ministers Office, Information
and Broadcasting Ministry, Defence and Home Ministries late last month,
seeking a patient hearing, under the banner of National and Public Interest
Society.
Although the artistes asserted they
had not ganged up against their Pakistani counterparts, they demanded equal
treatment. Pakistanis love popular Indian music and the singers who render
them. But the problem is I am not welcome in Pakistan, says singer Abhijeet.
He points out how ghazal singer
Jagjit Singh was asked to leave before a performance in Pakistan and how
Lata Mangeshkar has never been issued an invite.Why are we falling flat
in welcoming them, questions Abhijeet.
This group says they are trying
to impress upon the Government to persuade Pakistan to open its doors to
them, to perform and cut records. In short, make available to them the
opportunities India extends to Pakistani artistes.
The subtle message here is: if we
are not welcome in Pakistan, how are their singers performing in India?
Abhijeet sums it when he says, We offer them the best hospitality here.
This, when Indians are banned in Pakistan. As a singer, I want to higlight
the dual policies being followed by the two countries.
There is, of course, another related
problem. The success in India of Pakistani singers like Abida Parveen,
Farida Khanum, Ghulam Ali and more recently Adnan Sami (though his agents
deny he is Pakistani) is an opportunity that has been denied to the Indian
side.
While the Indian Music Industry
says the sale of recordings of Pakistani singers is miniscule when compared
to Indian figures, the fact remains that singers from Pakistan have made
a huge impact here, if the invitations issued to them are any indication.
Adnan Samis media advisor says the singers ex-wife is from Pakistan and
his parents are settled in UK and too much is being made of his Pakistan
connections.
But Jalota says he would like Prime
Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to ask President Musharraf to reverse his
anti-India policy. Ghulam Ali and Mehdi Hassan should inform their President
about the treatment meted out to Indian artistes, says Jalota. If front-ranking
Pakistani singers can strike more than a chord in India, why should Indian
singers be left behind? They come here and go back dripping in diamonds.
I think its unfair, says a singer.
Samant is more blunt: Their singers
are collecting money from performances and record sales while we are denied
that. If our artistes want to shoot there, they should be allowed to do
so. Lata was never invited while Noor Jehan came and was followed by others.
No restrictions are placed. We are
stopped from performing anywhere there. Its time to address the issue,
he says.