After Adnan’s concert, acoustics get shrill

Rijiju flays Omar for tweeting photos of empty chairs

Rhythm ’n’ Paradise: Singer Adnan Sami performs on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar on October 7.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said here on Monday that Adnan Sami’s concert in Srinagar last week was a “huge success”, and alleged that the former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had “wrongly tweeted” a photo of empty chairs taken before the concert.

Sharing a picture of empty seats at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Complex on October 7, Mr. Abdullah tweeted: “That’s a real pity. I hope people have filled those seats now. For an evening, they can let the music transport them to a more peaceful place.”

Showcasing the Valley

The concert — Rhythm ’n’ Paradise — was organised by the Union Home Ministry and the J&K government to reach out to Kashmiris. A Home Ministry official said entry was “by invitation”, and meticulous planning had gone into the organising of the show.

Mr. Rijiju, who attended the concert, said the Home Ministry organised it to show that the Kashmir Valley was not only about violence but also about art, culture, music and tourism.

“It was a successful show. Kashmir is about not just violence but art, culture, music and tourism as well. There was good coordination between the Home Ministry and the J&K government in successfully conducting the concert. A few elements should not hold Kashmir to ransom whereas the majority wants peace,” he told

The Hindu .

Asked why free entry was not allowed, Mr. Rijiju said “the venue had limited capacity”.

The concert was reminiscent of a similar event — Ehsaas-e-Kashmir (experience of Kashmir) — by music maestro Zubin Mehta in 2013, organised by German Ambassador Michael Steiner then.

The Peoples Democratic Party, which is in power now, had attacked the then National Conference government under Mr. Abdullah for allowing the concert in the violence-hit Valley.

2013 redux

On Saturday, taking a jibe at the PDP government for opposing the music concert in 2013, Mr. Abdullah said: “Thank you for the vindication @jkpdp because I haven’t forgotten what you said about the #ZubinMehta concert. Enjoy your evening all of you.”

Mr. Sami was born in London to a Pakistani diplomat father and Kashmiri mother. The singer relocated to India in the late 1990s and took Indian citizenship on January 1, 2016 after giving up his Pakistani citizenship.