Popular composer duo Salim-Sulaiman and Assamese artist Papon on Wednesday urged people to keep music and musicians away from politics amid the ongoing unrest between India and Pakistan following the September 18 attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
At an event in Mumbai to announce folk and fusion music festival Paddy Fields, the artists, asked their thoughts regarding the ban of Pakistani artists in India and curtailed cross-border cultural exchange between the two countries, chose to be diplomatic.
Salim said: “We should respect music and musicians beyond the border and politics.”
To that, Sulaiman added: “Having said that, we must not forget that we are a part of the music fraternity. If it is the official decision of the fraternity not to work with any musicians from a particular country, we are bound to follow the rule.”
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, following the Uri attack that killed 19 Indian soldiers, issued an ultimatum to Pakistani artists to leave the country, and threated they won’t let any Bollywood films with Pakistani actors release.
Following that, the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association passed a resolution to ban Pakistani artists in films until bilateral tensions between the two countries subside.
Asked about his opinion, Papon said: “I am an artist and do not follow politics regularly. However, I think music is a universal language that should not be limited based on borders. Borders are being created for political reason, let’s keep the music out of it [politics].”
Paddy Fields will feature various folk artists from across the country at Bombay Exhibition Centre in Goregaon on October 15-16.
