Renowned Indian singer Anup Jalota was awarded honorary membership of the Uttar Pradesh Devbhumi Sanghatan (UPDES) on Monday, an organisation set up by Indian expatriates in South Africa to champion Indian heritage. The veteran musician, who spent the weekend performing packed concerts in Durban and Johannesburg, spoke warmly of the local diaspora’s ability to preserve their cultural roots across five generations.
In a conversation with the media just before jetting off to the United States for a five-city tour, Jalota reflected on the decades when top Indian performers were desperate to connect with their South African fanbase but were legally blocked from doing so. From 1948 onwards, New Delhi strictly banned travel to South Africa as part of India's leading role in the international anti-apartheid struggle at the United Nations. He recalled how artists frequently pleaded with the Indian government to lift the restrictions, only to be told that diplomatic relations made a visit impossible. While he refrained from naming names, Jalota noted that a handful of Indian artists did sneak into South Africa illegally back then, only to face blacklisting by All India Radio and other state bodies upon their return.
The turning point came with the release of Nelson Mandela. As political tides turned and India softened its stance, Jalota became one of the very first Indian musicians to officially touch down in South Africa, performing on the cusp of Mandela's historic presidency. On his previous trips, he found that people were extremely responsive to the songs he sang in local concerts, which included his signature bhajans and ghazals.
Jalota calls the place a "little India" and marvels at how they manage to maintain the tradition of chanting stories like the Ramayana and organising programs like Hanuman Chalisa although they had been away from their native country for many generations. He did, however, feel that efforts must be made to preserve the language; it would go a long way in spreading the culture.
The "Bhajan Samrat" also expressed his gratitude to Ashish Sharma, the founder of 24 Seven Travel and president of UPDES, for hosting the tour and presenting him with the honorary membership. Born in Uttar Pradesh himself, Jalota said he felt deeply privileged to join the association. Sharma explained that UPDES focuses on promoting the cultural heritage of regions in erstwhile Uttar Pradesh that now form Uttarakhand, making Jalota the ideal representative for their cause. Discussing why his travel firm regularly funds these cultural exchanges, Sharma argued that it is vital for both recent expats and long-settled South African Indians to keep their children connected to their roots, dryly joking that it is often the mainland Indians who need a refresher course in their own culture.
At a special reception in his honour on Monday, Jalota was thoroughly impressed by a group of young South African singers who performed some of his biggest hits. He praised their talent, jokingly saying they sang his tracks better than he does, and remarked that classical-based music possesses a depth that ensures it will outlive fleeting modern trends. For one local singer, Anil Rambaran, the event was particularly sentimental; he proudly shared that he now owns three separate harmoniums gifted to him by Jalota during the maestro's previous tours.
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