New Delhi: Canada-based Punjabi singer Shubhneet Singh, known by his stage name Shubh, has expressed his disappointment after his highly anticipated Still Rollin India concert was abruptly cancelled following allegations of his support of Khalistan.
Shubh reacted to the entire hoopla via a message posted on Instagram. Shubh said he was “extremely disheartened” by the tour’s cancellation and he was “highly amped up and enthusiastic” about performing in his home country.
His tour was cancelled by BookMyShow, a prominent ticket-booking platform, on Wednesday after facing a boycott campaign against the singer on social media. The boycott was sparked after Shubh shared a map of India on his Instagram story in January, which notably omitted the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and the Northeastern states. People accused the Canadian singer of being a Khalistani sympathizer. Later, the singer deleted the controversial map, and replaced it with the text “Pray for Punjab”.
A day after the cancellation of his Still Rollin India concert, he shared a post on Instagram and wrote, “As a young rapper-singer hailing from Punjab, it was my life’s dream to put my music on an international dais. But the recent happenings have tumbled my hard work and progress, and I wanted to say a few words to express my dismay and sorrow. “I’m extremely disheartened by the cancellation of my tour in India. I was highly amped up and enthusiastic to perform in my country, in front of my people. The preparations were in full swing and I was practicing with my heart and soul for the last two months. And I was very excited, happy, and ready to perform. But I guess destiny had some other plans.”
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He further wrote, “India is my country too. I was born here. It is the land of my GURUS and my ANCESTORS, who didn’t even blink an eye to make sacrifices for the freedom of this land, for its glory, and for the family. Punjabis do not need to prove their patriotism. So my humble request is to refrain from naming every Punjabi as separatist or anti-national.”
On the controversial distorted map issue, he said in his Instagram post, “My intent in resharing that post on my story was only to pray for Punjab as there were reports of electricity and internet shutdowns throughout the state. There was no other thought behind it, and I definitely didn’t intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments.”
Indo-Canadian singer AP Dhillon also shared a post on this controversy and urged people to spread love and not hate. “As an artist, it has become almost impossibe to stay focused on your craft and do what you love”, he wrote in his Instagram story.
Following the recent controversy, cricketers Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Hardik Pandya have unfollowed the singer Shubh on Instagram. Shubh, originally from Punjab, began his musical career in Canada, where he is renowned for singing, rapping, and music composition.
Notably, Shubhneet Singh is the younger brother of Ravneet Singh, a well-known singer and actor in the Punjabi music industry.