Performs in Homeland After 20-Year Wait, Gets Emotional On Stage
Suhail Khan
Srinagar, Oct 26 : Kashmiri singer Qazi Touqeer was overcome with emotion during a performance in his homeland, fulfilling a dream he had waited two decades to realize. The moment occurred at a musical concert hosted by NDTV Good Times at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar on Sunday.
Addressing the crowd, the artist recalled the struggles he faced earlier in his career to secure a stage in Kashmir. Qazi Touqeer, who rose to fame after winning a national music reality show in 2005, shared a memory from his early days.
“I just wanted to perform on stage and had brought my own standee with me,” he said. “When I carried that standee to express myself, someone even asked me if there was an election that I was trying to win. I told him, ‘Whoever wins, just respect the artist, that’s all.'”
He went on to express his gratitude to NDTV for providing him with the opportunity that had eluded him for years.
The event came just one month after a previous concert of his in the Valley had been cancelled at the last minute after authorities revoked permission.
In response to the earlier cancellation, Touqeer said that while he wouldn’t blame anyone, he considered the incident a blow to art and culture in Kashmir.
