In an event organised by the Uttar Pradesh government in Lucknow, noted Sufi-kathak dancer Manjari Chaturvedi’s performance was allegedly interrupted midway for presenting a ‘qawaali’ on stage.
The dancer was allotted 45 minutes for her performance in the event at her home town. She alleged that the music was stopped while she was performing and an announcement was made for the next act.
“I was invited by the UP government and was allotted 45 minutes for my performance. During my performance, the music was stopped. I thought it was a technical glitch but then, the next act was announced. It was clear that this was not a glitch,” Chaturvedi toldIndia Today.
“When I enquired, I was told that qawaali cannot happen. My performance was stopped because I was performing a qawaali. This is the first time that my performance was stopped,” Chaturvedi added.
Expressing her displeasure over the incident the dancer added that she did not receive any explanation.
“My performance was pre-planned and my qawaali performance was known to the organisers. I am shocked that this happened to me in Lucknow, my home town. I have performed across the world and I am sad that this happened in my home,” she said.
However, the state government claimed that the act had to be cut short as the programme was running late. As dinner was arranged for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the performance had to be completed before his arrival.
“Chaturvedi was done with two performances and third was underway. Since the programme was running late and there was a Braj performance that was yet to happen, we were concerned that the CM may arrive before the show ends. We wanted all performers to get space,” an official was quoted inNews18.
Furthermore, the organisers of the event said that the dancer’s performance was not interrupted due to any religious or linguistic reasons.