Pakistani ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali, whose concert was cancelled in Mumbai last year following Shiv Sena protests, on Tuesday enthralled a packed audience at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here.

“I am always happy wherever I perform, but this time I am very happy. I used to visit Kolkata often, but this year, it seems I am coming after 50 years. I was so sad and today my sadness ends,” the 75-year-old singer of Patiala gharana said.

Enthralled audience

Thousands cheered when he crooned his popular numbers “Chupke Chupke Raat Din” and “Hungama Hai kyon Barpa.” His son Aamir Ali also sang with him.

Describing Ghulam Ali as “Sangeet Samrat”, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was present, said, “Music has no boundary. You have to come again as a gift to all of us,” she said, adding not everyone could be accommodated in the 12,000-capacity stadium due to heavy demand.

Bollywood filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who was also in the audience, thanked the CM saying it is nothing short of a miracle to have the popular singer amidst us. Coinciding with the 153th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the concert was part of the inaugural function of a trade fair for small and medium enterprises

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