Sufi rock, retro vibe and Bollywood Punjabi party anthems filled the campus of Jamia Hamdard University, as singer Salman Ali came calling. At the finale of the varsity’s Sports and Cultural Week 2024, the Awara singer kicked off the concert with melodious renditions of Maula Mere Maula, Teri Deewani and Mast Qalandar.
He then broke into a romantic couplet, sending one and all swooning: “Main unse khafa hua hi nahin/ jis tarah unhone mujhe chhua kisi aur ne chhua hi nahin/ Meri aankhein batati hain meri mohabbat ki dastaan, ki ek baar unse hua toh phir kisi aur se pyaar hua hi nahin!”
The enthusiasm was right on point as the students went about grooving to the 26-year-old’s songs. “Shuruaat humne qawwali se kar li, lekin aaj party karaenge!” announced Ali and went on to belt out crowd favourites Ilahi, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and Teri Meri Kahani.
“We had been waiting for this for so long,” said Bhumika Chopra, a third-year student of BPharm and president of the Students Council, adding, “There’s this perception that Jamia people don’t know how to have fun, but with this event, we certainly prove otherwise! Anyone could literally see the otherwise academic and quaint campus transform into a fun zone.”
Lauding the Indian Idol 10 winner’s setlist, third-year BUMS student Anul Nisha gushed, “Humare yahan traditional approach zyada rehti hai, so Salman Ali starting with shayari, and then [his transitioning] into Punjabi songs se aise laga jaise hum kisi DU fest mein hain!” Garzain Bint-e-Attar, a first-year student of MSc in Clinical Research, added, “I was super excited for Salman Ali’s performance since morning, so much so that I’d been humming Awara all day long! And when he sang that song in the evening, mujhe laga mere liye hi ga rahe hain. During his stage act, I soaked in the whole vibe to the fullest as it was truly the perfect culmination to the fest.”
{{/usCountry}}Lauding the Indian Idol 10 winner’s setlist, third-year BUMS student Anul Nisha gushed, “Humare yahan traditional approach zyada rehti hai, so Salman Ali starting with shayari, and then [his transitioning] into Punjabi songs se aise laga jaise hum kisi DU fest mein hain!” Garzain Bint-e-Attar, a first-year student of MSc in Clinical Research, added, “I was super excited for Salman Ali’s performance since morning, so much so that I’d been humming Awara all day long! And when he sang that song in the evening, mujhe laga mere liye hi ga rahe hain. During his stage act, I soaked in the whole vibe to the fullest as it was truly the perfect culmination to the fest.”
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