Mamata Banerjee played the event manager as Ghulam Ali sang a paean to Calcutta's "great love of sur (tune)" on the eve of a ghazal concert that had struggled to find a stage until the searchlight fell on Netaji Indoor Stadium.
"I have a very, very old, very dear relationship with Calcutta. The people of Bengal, they have such great love of sur, they are my relatives, really... relatives of my soul," Ali, who will perform with son Aamir on Tuesday, told Metro at The Oberoi Grand.
The Pakistani legend said he was looking forward to his son joining him in concert for the first time in the city where he has performed several times since 1981. "I want my son to experience the city and its people first hand," he said.
The singer, who has charmed listeners across countries and generations, reminisced about "stalwarts" from Bengal like Manna De and composer Salil Chowdhury, who he said treated him like a " chhote bhai (younger brother)".
Ali said he didn't have to plan anything special for the concert as Calcuttans were known to listen with "rapt attention and love", encouraging a special performance that is spontaneous and "from within".
"There is genuine love and respect for the arts and music of the classical kind here. Like nowhere else, really. It's not like the old times, of course, but still there is more here than anywhere else," he said.
He said his first concert in the city in 1981 had people climbing over one another to see and hear him sing. " Tab sey hum Calcutta ke bahut bade fan hain (I have been a very big fan of Calcutta since). I have tried to come here every year."
Chief minister Mamata, who scarcely conceals her enthusiasm for the arts, has taken it upon herself to ensure that Ali and his son go back with their opinion of her city intact. So, no clapping in the middle of a song. No out-of-place wah-wahs either.
Sources said Mamata would decide who would sit in the front rows at the concert on Tuesday evening.
"She wants to ensure that the show goes off without a glitch. It's a prestige issue and she wouldn't want anything to come in the way of Bengal's reputation while hosting Ghulam Ali," said one of the organisers.
Mamata, insiders at Nabanna said, had instructed her office to exercise "extreme caution" while drawing up the list of those who would get the blue VIP invitation card that would ensure a cushioned seat in front of the Netaji stadium stage, which was finalised after considering four other potential venues.
"We don't want any clapping in the middle of a song. There should be no unwanted wah-wahs...nothing that would strike a discordant note with the performer," said a senior official of the West Bengal Minorities Development and Finance Corporation, one of the organisers of the show. "The VIP card bears the Biswa Bangla logo on the right and nothing should happen that will bring dishonour to the state. This is the brief."
Mamata is scheduled to address the audience before Ali takes the stage to sing his set, from Yeh dil yeh pagal dil mera to Hungama hai kyon barpa.
Last October, after the cancellation of Ali's Mumbai concert because of threats from the Shiv Sena, the chief minister had spoken of her intent to host him in Calcutta.
"Music has no boundaries. Ghulam Ali ji's concert can be held in Calcutta," Mamata had tweeted on October 8, a day after the Mumbai concert was called off to a barrage of criticism.
She spoke to Ali immediately on his arrival in the city, sources said.
Asked about the conversation, the singer said: " Maine kaha Didi...maine Didi karke bola...maine kaha ki Didi, aapka bahut pyar hai, aapka itna pyar hai ki main kahin bhi hota toh aa jata (I called her Didi... I addressed her as Didi...I said Didi, you have a lot of love, you have so much love that I would have come here irrespective of where I was)."
The chief minister got a thumbs-up in the evening from filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. "In Kolkata tomo and will be an honor to witness Ghulam Ali saheb concert. Full marks to @mamataofficial Wow!!" he tweeted.
Although Ali refused to take questions on the debate on intolerance and the protest by Shiv Sena that led to his Mumbai concert being cancelled, he did leave a message.
"It's not a message for India only. For Pakistan, too," he said.
" Prem jo hai, sur sey sur milana chahiye, sur sey sur milna chahiye. Usmey shant hi shant hai. Koi nuksan nahi hota, fayda hi fayda hai (The love that is there, tunes should be connected with tunes, tunes should connect with tunes. There is abundant peace in that. There is no loss, only gain)."
The organisers are keeping their fingers crossed about filling one seat reserved for a VVIP guest. Sources said Amitabh Bachchan could be in the audience.
Netaji Indoor Stadium is, of course, a familiar venue for the actor. The song Saara zamana from his film Yaarana was shot there in 1979. He has also attended four consecutive inaugural functions of the Calcutta Film Festival at the stadium.
Mamata is scheduled to address the audience before Ali takes the stage to sing his set, from Yeh dil yeh pagal dil mera to Hungama hai kyon barpa.
Last October, after the cancellation of Ali’s Mumbai concert because of threats from the Shiv Sena, the chief minister had spoken of her intent to host him in Calcutta.
“Music has no boundaries. Ghulam Aliji’s concert can be held in Calcutta,” Mamata had tweeted on October 8, a day after the Mumbai concert was called off to a barrage of criticism.
She spoke to Ali immediately on his arrival in the city, sources said.
Asked about the conversation, the singer said: “Maine kaha Didi…maine Didi karke bola…maine kaha ki Didi, aapka bahut pyar hai, aapka itna pyar hai ki main kahin bhi hota toh aa jata (I called her Didi… I addressed her as Didi…I said Didi, you have a lot of love, you have so much love that I would have come here irrespective of where I was).”
The chief minister got a thumbs-up in the evening from filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. “In Kolkata tomo and will be an honor to witness Ghulam Ali saheb concert. Full marks to @mamataofficial Wow!!” he tweeted.
Although Ali refused to take questions on the debate on intolerance and the protest by Shiv Sena that led to his Mumbai concert being cancelled, he did leave a message.
“It’s not a message for India only. For Pakistan, too,” he said. “Prem jo hai, sur sey sur milana chahiye, sur sey sur milna chahiye. Usmey shaant hi shaant hai. Koi nuksan nahin hota, fayda hi fayda hai (The love that is there, tunes should be connected with tunes, tunes should connect with tunes. There is abundant peace in that. There is no loss, only gain).”
The organisers are keeping their fingers crossed about filling one seat reserved for a VVIP guest, with efforts on to request Amitabh Bachchan to make a special appearance. Netaji Indoor Stadium is, of course, a familiar venue for the actor, having shot for Yaarana in 1979, spoken at The Telegraph Anniversary Debate in 1990, and most recently attended four consecutive inaugural functions of the Calcutta International Film Festival.
