After a series of cancellations of Ghulam Ali’s concerts in India due to the Hindu extremist group Shiv Sena’s cowardly threats, one would think that the ghazal singer might have been hugely disappointed by the situation.

Well, that’s not the case, at least according to an Indian newspaper which has quoted him as saying that he is “unfazed” by it because he feels it’s a “temporary phase”.

The reason for his optimism is that all this trouble has been caused by a single party, and therefore it will settle down soon. Well, sir, all I can say is that you are a very nice man who likes to see the glass half-full.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, April 17th, 2016