Kailash Kher mesmerises Ludhiana residents with his hit numbers

Thousands of devotees, residents and political leaders were spellbound when leading Bollywood singer Kailash Kher began the evening, “Eh Sham Bhagwan Shiv Ke Naam”, with his hit numbers, including “Saiyaan”, “Teri Deewani”, “Chak De Phatte” and “Bam Lahiri”.

Clad in a black outfit, Kailash Kher started singing for the audience around 8.40 pm. The residents stayed on throughout his performance and thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

The divine musical evening was organised by the state government at Daresi Grounds here on Friday. The state government has organised similar events in 23 cities across Punjab.

Elaborate arrangements were made by the government to make the evening a memorable one. Around 1,100 police personnel were deployed during the event. A huge stage was set up and decorated with fresh flowers and idols of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

As the month of Sawan is under way, the government has planned Kher’s performances across the state as part of the celebrations dedicated to Lord Shiva. Prior to Kher’s performance, Ganesh Vandana, Shiva Stotram and Hanuman bhajans were presented by the troupe led by the Bollywood singer.

Most devotees, including youngsters, women and children, were seen enjoying the divine musical evening while sitting on the floor, where mattresses had been spread. A waterproof tent was also erected so that devotees could enjoy the programme even in case of rain.

Swapan Sharma, Commissioner of Police, said over 20,000 devotees were present on the occasion and the evening went smoothly with tight security arrangements.

Arvind Kejriwal, the chief guest on the occasion, said the AAP was making great efforts for “Sanatan”. He referred to the present tour dedicated to Lord Shiva and the staging of the play “Hamare Ram”.

He also highlighted the “Mukhya Mantri Tirath Yatra”, under which devotees are taken to Amritsar and Anandpur Sahib, with more destinations being added, including Khatu Shyam, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mathura and Vrindavan. The pilgrimages are being offered free of cost.

Kejriwal said that by October, the famous Kali Mata Temple at Patiala would be completely revamped. Several saints were also honoured by Kejriwal on the occasion.

All VVIPs enjoyed the evening while sitting on the floor near the stage.

Meanwhile, due to traffic diversions, residents had to face difficulties, particularly when traffic was stopped because of VVIP movement.