Artistes from Pakistani troupe Ajoka returned home after receiving a great response from audiences in India. What made them think this strange? People like Nazia Hassan, Hassan Jehangir, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ghulam Ali, Runa Laila and Adnan Sami are well loved in India. Both Indian labels and the Pakistani artists have benefited from record sales. In contrast, Pakistan has banned Indian music and television programming and driven their distribution underground. Music and video piracy is cornered by ISI-linked syndicates with the proceeds being used for many unpleasant pursuits. Last week armed miscreants disrupted a cultural show in Karachi and tried to kidnap a female dancer. Campuses are already under threat by the killjoy crowd. With Islamic radicals getting increasingly vocal and physical, the future does not look rosy for Pakistani artists.{|<} This is an archived blog post from The Acorn.
If you would like to share or comment on this, please discuss it on my GitHub
Previous © Copyright 2003-2024. Nitin Pai. All Rights Reserved.