Singer Sona Mohapatra has questioned whether respect for veteran artists can come at the cost of professional accountability, sharing her experience of watching Daler Mehndi perform at a Sufi festival in New Delhi. Her remarks come amid a controversy surrounding the singer’s performance at a cultural event in Uttarakhand, where state Cabinet minister Subodh Uniyal publicly reprimanded him on stage.
Because daler was not singing, he also claimed that the singer had been paid ₹ 35 lakh for the performance and said he had expressed his resentment. However, she described the experience as heartbreaking, claiming that the singer appeared disoriented and struggled to hold a note. Not my team, not me. We stood there, uncomfortable and saddened, but silent. Out of respect. Which brings me to the uncomfortable part. Was that really respect? Or were we, through our silence, enabling something that deserved to be questioned? But watching the Uttarakhand controversy unfold, I find it curious that so much of the conversation has become about the indignity suffered by the artist, and so little about the expectations of the audience and the responsibility of those accepting substantial professional fees. Sona acknowledged that veteran artists deserved dignity and empathy for their contributions but stressed that audiences also had a right to expect an honest performance. She emphasised that respect for an artist’s legacy should not exempt them from professional accountability.
She said she had been following the controversy surrounding his performance in Uttarakhand and felt compelled to share her personal experience. Clarifying that she did not intend to disrespect the veteran singer, she said there was a larger, uncomfortable question that needed to be addressed within the performing arts. Recalling the incident, Sona said she and her team had stayed back at the request of the festival organisers, hoping to watch Daler perform a different, Sufi-oriented set. Questioning why she and her team had chosen to remain silent at the time, Sona said they had been uncomfortable and saddened but had refrained from speaking out of respect for the singer. She wrote, “And yet, none of us said anything. She said that if an artist was unwell, the situation should be handled with compassion and responsibility. In her post, Sona said she was speaking as a fellow performing artist and acknowledged that her remarks could attract criticism. Uniyal later told ANI that the singer had been lip-syncing to his songs While Mika Singh defended his brother Daler. The minister said he had told Daler that, as a prominent artist, he should do justice to his art.
On Tuesday, Sona took to Instagram to recall staying back in Delhi to watch Daler perform at the second edition of the Sufi Heritage Festival.
