Sonu Nigam Pauses Srinagar Concert For Azaan Amid Boycott Buzz Over Old Tweets. Watch

Sonu Nigam paused his Srinagar concert to honour the azaan, earning applause from the crowd. The gesture came amid boycott calls resurfacing over his old 2017 tweets.

Despite the low turnout, a video from the event has now gone viral on social media.

Source : PTI

Sonu Nigam’s recent concert in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, turned into a talking point for more than one reason. The celebrated playback singer and music composer, known for his soulful hits and equally high-profile controversies, faced an unexpectedly sparse audience during his first-ever live show in the Valley, a setback many linked to his old remarks about the azaan (Islamic call to prayer).

Sonu Nigam's viral video

Despite the low turnout, a video from the event has now gone viral on social media — not for controversy, but for a moment of respect. In the clip, Sonu can be seen halting his performance midway as the azaan began. He announced, “Please give me two minutes; the azaan is about to begin here.” The gesture was met with loud cheers and applause from the crowd, who appreciated the singer’s sensitivity towards the religious practice. Once the call to prayer concluded, Sonu continued his performance seamlessly.

However, reports suggest that the concert at the SK International Conference Centre (SKICC) near Dal Lake fell short of expectations. According to Deccan Herald, calls for a boycott of the event could have contributed to the thin audience, with one local telling the publication, “There was expectation that it would be house full, but most of the chairs were empty.”

 

 

 

 

 

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What Sonu Nigam had said earlier

The controversy being referenced dates back to 2017, when Sonu Nigam found himself at the centre of a social media storm after expressing his disapproval of loudspeakers being used for the azaan. He had tweeted, “God bless everyone. I’m not a Muslim, and I have to be woken up by the azaan in the morning. When will this forced religiousness end in India?”

In follow-up posts, he added, “And by the way, Mohammed did not have electricity when he made Islam. Why do I have to have this cacophony after Edison? I don’t believe in any temple or gurudwara using electricity to wake up people who don’t follow the religion. Why then..? Honest? True? Gundagardi hai bus.”

Those comments, which resurfaced recently, reignited backlash and renewed calls for a boycott against the singer. The old tweets are no longer visible on Sonu Nigam’s X (formerly Twitter) profile, but their echo seems to have followed him all the way to Srinagar.