Salman & Samir Chatterjee at USC (Review & Picture)

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The Office of Religious Life and the Office of the Provost Present
Salman Ahmad and Samir Chatterjee
November 6, 2008
Bovard Auditorium, USC
By Varun Soni

On November 6, 2008, Salman Ahmad and Samir Chatterjee played an inspired two hour set of music to a rapturous audience of 500 at USC’s historic Bovard Auditorium. USC has more South Asian students than any other university in the US and a full spectrum of its South Asian diversity was represented at the concert. Students from Lahore, Karachi, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, London, New York, and Los Angeles enthusiastically sang and clapped along with Salman and Samir as they performed Junoon favorites including “Sayonee,” “Bulleya,” and “Meri Awaaz Suno,” and Sufi-rock classics such as “Lal Meri Pat,” “Allah Hu,” and “Man Kunto Maula.”
The mood was especially ebullient given the excitement around Barack Obama’s presidential victory 48 hours earlier. Salman acknowledged the hope and optimism Obama’s victory sparked throughout the world and dedicated a stirring rendition of John Lennon’s peace anthem “Imagine” to Obama.
Salman also conveyed his mystical message of unity to the crowd. Invoking medieval Sufi poets such as Bullhe Shah and Amir Khusrau, Salman weaved his own narratives of love and respect in between his songs. He elevated the crowd’s intoxicated spirit by saying, “You can bring down the pillars of the mosque, you can tear down the walls of the temple, but you should never break another’s heart, because that’s where truth resides.”
During his closing song “Dosti,” Salman told the crowd about Junoon’s historic concert in Srinigar, Kashmir in May of 2008. Facing death threats from militants and surrounded by the military, Junoon courageously played the first rock concert in Kashmir’s history. During their concert, their fans stormed the stage from all around Dal Lake and sang “Dosti” in unison. In solidarity, the USC audience collectively sang “Dosti” in unison to end the show at Bovard. An unforgettable evening celebrating a historic week…
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Hai Jazba Junoon to himmat na haar~~Justajoo jo karay woh chooaey aasmaan~~Mehnat apni ho gee pehchaan kabhi na bholo~~Sab ki nazron main Pakistan