Veteran Tamil playback singer Hariharan has cancelled his concert tour to Colombo which was set to begin on Saturday, reportedly yielding to anti-Lankan sentiments in Tamil Nadu.
"My music has spread peace, happiness and love throughout the world for at least three decades.
"If one concert could create so much of hurt and anguish among my fans, the concert loses its purpose," said Hariharan in a statement to The Times of India.
Tamil Nadu based human rights group May 17 Movement, among many activists had been campaigning for Hariharan to boycott the concert.
“These events are designed to create an image of Sri Lanka as a peaceful and democratic country and convince the world community that it is free of Human Rights violations” said a spokesperson for the May 17 Movement.
According to the Weekend Leader, distinguished Kollywood directors Bharathiraja, Ameer and Vetrimaran had also urged the singer to boycott the concert.
Writing to Hariharan, Ameer highlighted American reggae band Blue Mountain’s refusal to perform in Sri Lanka based on the country’s record for “systemic violence... towards indigenous populations”.
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