Ritu Jha-
“We want that place to be paradise, that’s it,” Shreya Ghoshal, one of the leading Bollywood singers said referring to Kashmir and the abrogation of Article 370.
Ghoshal, who is presently in the San Francisco Bay Area to perform at the Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF) USA, a fundraising concert to eradicate curable blindness in India spoke at a press conference held on August 21, in Milpitas, California. The SEF concert is on Aug. 23, at San Jose State University, in Northern California. Established in the US in 1998, SEF has performed over 2 million free eye surgeries across India and is one of the largest free eye care providers in the world.
Ghoshal’s upcoming North America concerts are scheduled in Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Boston, Washington DC, New Jersey, Toronto, Seattle and, Chicago.
Ghoshal, 35, an Indian playback singer who has received four National Film Awards, seven Filmfare Awards including six for Best Female Playback Singer, told indica that she did not know much about the abrogation of Article 370, and its consequences. “I am still trying to understand but again “Kashmir is Jannat” (Paradise on Earth).
On Aug. 5, the Modi government took a historic decision and Jammu and Kashmir were given the special status of a Union Territory under Article 370 of the constitution of India.
Ghoshal added that if the abrogation of 370 can benefit the people, and can bring peace to the unrest in the Kashmir Valley, then it’s a hopeful thing for every Indian.
“I wish for happiness in the valley and no one should feel they are in pain and there is no freedom,” she said and added, “I hope all this translates into good.”
However, she also believes that people living there know what is best for them, “They are better people to know what is good or not.”
Sharing her views on Spotify and how technology is transforming the music industry, she said she has no issues with online music streaming platforms. However, she has seen the age of cassettes to CD’s which are both obsolete in the music industry now, as music is listened to on phones and other devices. “I feel the quality of music, which you get in CD’s are super high-quality audio and when that is transformed to MP3s, the quality deteriorates.”
“With the coming of YouTube and other platforms where people can publish their work, it’s both a good and a bad thing. The good thing is you don’t have to depend on somebody to voice yourself and put your work out there, but the negative part is there is too much content and there is no way to filter to get good content and it’s not clear, but I feel it is also giving a platform to independent music creators in India.”
