Bhaderwah Residents savour musical evening after 17 years in Bhaderwah

Bhaderwah Residents savour musical evening after 17 years in Bhaderwah

Bhaderwah, June 17: Bhaderwah town used to wear a deserted look after 6 pm everyday, but on Saturday night hundreds of people gathered to watch a live performance of Himachali singer Suresh Chouhan of Neelama fame. 

For the first time in the past 17 years such a large number of people gathered to watch a cultural programme in this militancy-plagued and communally sensitive town of Jammu and Kashmir. As there are many similarities between the culture of Himachal Pradesh and Bhaderwah, Suresh Chouhan, who is from this town, has many fans in this side of the Pahari belt also. 

The singer not only regaled the audience, but also tried to cement Hindu-Muslim ties in this town through cultural means.

Disregarding the warning of security agencies, Suresh decided to perform in the open. As he came on the stage and sang ‘Pedian terian Neelama’,a Himachali song, the atmosphere was enlivened and the audience started swaying. Initially, there were around 500 persons gathered at the main bazaar of Bhaderwah, but as the show progressed, the number of people swelled into hundreds. 

Within half-an-hour people, including a large number of women and children, thronged the venue to watch the performance of the son of the soil, who is more popular in Himachal than in his own native place. 

The programme, which started at 5 pm, continued till midnight. SP, Bhaderwah, M. L. Mehra appeared helpless in controlling huge crowd. “It is not possible to make security arrangements for such a huge crowd'', he told The Tribune.

 Courtesy: www.tribuneindia.com