advertisement
Pakistani ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali was presented with the ‘Hanumant Award’, instituted by a religious trust, as police foiled a bid by some Shiv Sena activists to stage a protest during the event at Talgajarda village in Bhavnagar district.
The 75-year-old Ghazal singer has received the award for his contribution to music from Chitrakut Dham Trust, run by spiritual preacher Morari Bapu.
In the morning, a handful of Sena activists gathered outside the venue where Ghulam Ali was supposed to be presented with the award.
The award ceremony lasted for few hours, after which the detained protestors were released.
Interestingly, the singer was supposed to perform at the ‘Asmita Parv’ on its opening day on 19 April, but his visit was cancelled at the last moment due to ‘unavoidable circumstances.’
Meanwhile, the singer told reporters at Mumbai airport that he always tried to strengthen the bond between India and Pakistan.
Also read: You Can’t Take India Out of Ghulam Ali
Before leaving for Delhi, the singer said that there are always people on both the sides who want cohesive relations.
The Chitrakoot Dham Trust had announced awards for Ali and nine others associated with various streams of art. The trust chose Ali and five others for ‘Hanumant Award’, and veteran actor Dharmendra along with three other artists for ‘Natraj Award’ for their contribution to their respective creative fields.
Dharmendra, however, did not turn up for the function on health grounds.
A concert of Ghulam Ali planned in Mumbai in October 2015 was cancelled after Shiv Sena threatened to stage a protest at the venue in its heartland. The celebrated singer, who has a massive fan following in India, however, performed in Kerala and West Bengal later without facing any hassle.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)