October 5, 2017
Pakistan-origin Bollywood singer Adnan Sami, who is half
Kashmiri, will perform a musical gala on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar
on Saturday to showcase that Kashmir Valley is a vibrant cultural place and
should not be linked to just terror violence.
The concert is being
organised jointly by the Union Home Ministry and the Jammu and Kashmir
government and is aimed at promoting tourism and Kashmiri culture amid
heightened terror-related violence in the valley.
Businesses in the
Kashmir Valley, particularly tourism related activities, have seen a slump since
last year when the state was rocked by street violence following the killing of
Hizbul commander Burhan Wani.
The number of tourists visiting the valley
has see a sharp dip this year.
According to Kashmir tourism players, the
valley has witnessed the lowest arrival of tourists in the last three decades
from July 2016 to September 2017.
Industry leaders in Kashmir met Union
Home Minister Rajnath Singh during his September visit to the valley and
requested him to help them as the negative coverage about the state in the
electronic media has led to dip in tourist footfalls.
The Minister
assured them of every possible help so that the valley could regain its stature
as one of the top tourist destinations in the world.
Home Ministry
sources said the concert, to be organised at the Sher-i-Kashmir International
Convention Centre on the eastern shore of Dal Lake, is in line with Rajnath
Singh's promise.
"The musical concert initiative is to promote tourism
and culture in the valley and spread a message that the valley is not only for
terror violence," a Home Ministry official said.
London-born Sami is an
Indian singer, music composer, pianist and actor. He was born to a Pakistani
diplomat and his mother was an Indian Kashmiri and it was only 18 years ago that
he relocated to India.
Last month, Kashmiri singer Aabha Hanjura, a
migrant Kashmiri Pandit, attracted a huge audience for her show titled
'Saaz-e-Kashmir'.
According to officials, the state government would bear
all expenses for organizing Sami's concert.