GUWAHATI: Music has no language but popular Assamese singer-composer Zubeen Garg was told it has, and it is not Hindi.
The Bollywood singer had to abruptly end his Bihu performance in Guwahati on Friday night after was prevented from belting out Hindi numbers. The incident occurred during the performance of his Bollywood chartbuster “Dil tu hi bata”, a song from Hrithik Roshan starrer “Krrish 3”.
Garg and Assamese singer Zublee were singing the duet when the organisers took to stage and told them emphatically not to sing Hindi songs. They said Garg had violated an agreement, which they signed with him, by singing the Hindi number.
A miffed Garg told them that it was a musical programme and he was at liberty to sing in any language.
“Why can’t I sing in Hindi or in English? Bihu is a musical festival. I will sing whatever I wish to and you cannot dictate me. I have sung 16,000 songs in the last 25 years of my career, not you,” he thundered before leaving the stage.
Later, he told reporters that a militant from the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), who is believed to be in good terms with the outfit’s military chief Paresh Baruah, had asked him not to sing Hindi songs. Garg wondered why the man had not been arrested.
The person is reportedly one Hiranya Saikia, a surrendered ULFA rebel.
The 45-year-old Zubeen had made his Bollywood debut in 2006 with the popular number “Ya Ali”.
Zublee wrote on her Facebook page: “Music has no language & that’s ehat the entire universe agrees to, then why does some disgusting people keep on annoying Zubeen Garg. I think your thoughts & vision has got stuck somewhere midway, please grow up & move on. Stop irritating artists every now & then. Our Assamese culture has never taught us to disrespect other cultures/languages. Stop discriminating; don’t forget we are all Indians”.
People are divided in the conflict. While some insisted that artists should sing only Assamese songs at Bihu programmes, others pointed out that “music has no language”.
To the ULFA, Hindi is not merely a language but the exploitative tongue of the “oppressive” and “colonial” Government of India. It views the Hindi-speaking settlers as representatives of Central government. Over the last 15 years, the insurgent outfit has carried out a series of attacks targeting Hindi-speaking people.