Diljit Dosanjh Opens Aura India Tour in Delhi, Tells Critics “Don’t Teach Punjabis How to Fight Battles”
The singer played a sold-out show at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium after Delhi Police cleared the event, honoured a CRPF officer on stage and answered criticism over the CJP protest.
Diljit Dosanjh launched the India leg of his Aura tour with a sold-out concert at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Friday night, 30 October, and used the stage to answer critics who had questioned his silence on a student protest.
A show that almost did not happen
Delhi Police had initially held back permission for the event, citing security and law-and-order demands during the festive season. Clearance came only after organiser BookMyShow Live submitted a plan covering security, traffic and crowd management. Hundreds of security personnel were deployed on the night, traffic curbs stayed in place until midnight, and many fans took the Metro. “It was our first show. There were a lot of attempts made to stop me,” Dosanjh told the crowd, adding that he had faced an unusual number of obstacles while performing in India.
The setlist
He opened with “Kehnde Soniye” and moved through hits such as “5 Taara”, “Do You Know”, “Patiala Peg”, “Kali Teri”, “GOAT”, “Born to Shine”, “Naina” and “Saanson Ki Mala”, weaving in the folk number “Laung Gawacha”. The night ended with “Main Hoon Punjab” from Amar Singh Chamkila, followed by a drone show. During the concert he invited a CRPF officer on stage to thank her for her service, and handed a gift hamper to an elderly fan who danced with him. A turban-tying kiosk at the venue offered free turbans to visitors.
Responding to the criticism
Dosanjh has faced criticism for distancing himself from a student protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Without naming anyone, he told the audience, “Don’t teach Punjabis how to fight battles.” He referred to his film Satluj, about human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, which was released on a streaming platform earlier this year after a long delay and taken down within days. He said he would stay calm and that his side had only goodwill to offer.
Upcoming dates
The tour continues in Indore (15 November), Ahmedabad (21 November), Mumbai (27 November), Bengaluru (29 November), Lucknow (5 December), Chandigarh (12 December) and Kolkata (19 December).
Featured image: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. Photo: Sunnya343, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source).
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