Kailash Kher’s first Pak concert

In another heartening instance of stronger cross-border ties, Indian singer Kailash Kher finally performed in Pakistan for the first time.
His concert in Karachi on Saturday came on the heels of the sudden cancellation of his Lahore concert, and the disappointing cancellation of Indian band Euphoria’s second Pakistan concert earlier this month.
Dressed in a brown khadi kurta and jacket in Karachi, Kailash excitedly said, “I just can’t believe it – I’m in Pakistan.It’s such a beautiful place with such lovely people. I was overwhelmed by the welcome I got. My best moment was when I crossed the Wagah border. Mujhe itni nostalgic feeling ho rahi thi, kya bataun – jab border cross kiya, kuch minute ke liye laga ki I’m in my des. Wahi khet wahi log... bahut achha mahsoos hua. The only thing that struck me was that aged people were our porters on both sides of the border. I have a lot of respect for the elderly aur unko yeh karte hue dekh kar bada dukh mahsoos hua. At the same time, I was touched to see that they were so full of energy and smiling as they carried our luggage.”
Kailash enthralled the audience with popular songs like “Allah Ke Bande” and “Sanu Ek Pal”. Sanam, one of his fans in the crowd, said, “Pakistanis are huge fans of Bollywood actors and singers. We are crazy about Bollywood movies. It’s like a dream come true for us to see Kailash perform before us.” “It was a different experience for all of us to watch Kailash perform. Bada different show tha jahan log actually sukoon se gaana sun rahe thay,” added Sultana Siddique, chairperson of Hum TV.
We asked Kailash whether he would be interested in coming back to Pakistan and he told us, “Kyun nahin, bada mazaa aaya. Main chahta hoon ki hum wapas aayein; jo logon ka pyar mila, bahut khushi hui dekh kar. I had very little time, so I couldn’t shop or see the city, but zuroor chahunga ki main dobara Pakistan aaun.” As for his cancelled Lahore show, he said cheerily, “Koi nahin, agli baar zuroor aaunga.”