Lucknow: Renowned Sufi-Kathak dance form creator, Manjari Chaturvedi, was allegedly forced to terminate her 'qawwali' act during a UP government event in Lucknow on Thursday night.
Chaturvedi (45) was invited by the Yogi government itself to perform but her 'qawwali' performance was stopped and an announcement for the next act was made by the organisers.
"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. When I enquired, I was told that qawaali cannot happen here," she told media.
She expressed displeasure over the incident, “My qawaali performance was known to the organisers. I have performed across the world and I am sad that this happened in my home.”
Officials however claimed, “Chaturvedi had put up two performances during the event and the third act was underway. Considering that the program was running late, and a Braj performance was scheduled, there was a concern that all groups should get adequate amount of time on stage before the arrival of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the event.”
