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Days after his India tour was cancelled following backlash over an old post, Canada-based Punjabi singer Shubhneet Singh, who goes by the stage name Shubh, took to social media to say that he was "extremely disheartened."
Shubh's tour was cancelled by BookMyShow on Wednesday, 20 September, after the platform faced boycott calls sparked by the singer sharing a distorted map of India on Instagram in March, with Jammu and Kashmir and parts of north-east India covered with a shadow and "Pray for Punjab" written alongside it.
"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," the singer took to Instagram to say.
He also said that he was "amped up" and "enthusiastic" to perform "in front of my people".
"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. And Punjab is my soul, Punjab is in my blood. Whatever I am today, I am because of being a Punjabi."Shubhneet Singh
Shubh further explained that his intention was only to offer prayers for Punjab, which was facing electricity shutdowns at the time. He said that he did not have any intention of offending anybody or hurting their feelings.
BookMyShow had taken to X on Wednesday to say, "Singer Shubhneet Singh’s Still Rollin Tour for India stands cancelled. To that end, BookMyShow has initiated a complete refund of the ticket amount for all consumers who had purchased tickets for the show."
Messages of Solidarity From AP Dhillon, Moose Wala's Account
Meanwhile, Indo Canadian singer AP Dhillon took to social media and expressed his disappointment in a cryptic post, alleging that political groups constantly use the public image of singers as a "chess piece" to "further their agenda".
"I try to stay out of all the social mania as it is clear to me that regardless of what I say or do, it is a lost cause. Someone, somewhere is going to spin the narrative to their liking and create more division," he said.
"As an artist it has become almost impossible to stay focused on your craft and do what you love. I try to be mindful of everyone's sentiments but it has gotten to a point where we have to second and triple guess our every move due to the fear of unintentionally fueling even more division."AP Dhillon
A message posted from the account of late Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala expressed solidarity with Shubh, saying that while the latter had "benevolent" intentions, his post "ignited a torrent of national animosity."
"In recent weeks we have observed a growing sense of tension within our Sikh community. Being a minority in India is undoubtedly a challenging experience. The animosity directed towards our community appears to be politically motivated," he said.
The message further added:
"Sidhu consistently advocated for his people, only to be unjustly labelled a terrorist without any substantiated evidence. Regrettably, a similar fate has befallen Shubh."
The backlash against Shubh comes at a time when India and Canada are engaged in a major stand-off, following the latter's allegations that New Delhi was involved in the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil earlier this year.
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