Pankaj Udhas: I was nervous when I got back on stage after two years

I am like a fish without water when I’m not on stage. I’ve been a performing artiste all my life and the last two years have been the toughest,” says veteran ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas, who has been performing back-to-back concerts in India and abroad ever since things opened up post the pandemic.

Ask how performing live feels like after a gap of two years and the Padma Shri recipient says, “Before the pandemic, there used to be a lot of confidence in me before any concert. But the pandemic phase was tough, even psychologically. Though I did my riyaaz regularly and tried to keep up and not get rusted, there was a lack of exposure to the stage and audience. So, when I got back on stage after two years with a concert in Rampur (Uttar Pradesh), I was really nervous. But when I went up on stage and saw 6,000 people cheering for me, I had tears in my eyes. It was a very emotional moment, as I was deprived of the stage for so long.”

Though he has been performing live quite frequently since October 2021 and has a string of concerts lined up, he’s made sure that he doesn’t go easy on following the safety protocols. “When I started performing live again, I’d be so paranoid that I feared contracting the virus even by touching things at concerts,” he says, adding, “Safety is of prime importance to me. I make sure that nobody comes close to me without a mask.”

So, has anything changed as far as the audience’s conduct at live shows is concerned? “They have become much more enthusiastic compared to the pre-pandemic days. They value your performance much more than before,” says Udhas, who turns 71 today. Sharing how he plans to spend his birthday, the singer adds, “Covid-19 is still around and people are still suffering. So I am not really in a mood to celebrate. I’ll have a low-key birthday with my family.”