Diljit Dosanjh made palpable connection with eager audience

Re: One of our own breaking barriers': Pop star Diljit Dosanjh sells out B.C. Place

Taylor Swift may have sold out the arena, but Diljit Dosanjh brought together generations. When grandparents, parents and grandchildren all attend a concert together, it truly speaks to the mass appeal of Dosanjh. He has sparked an interest from the next generation around their culture, religion and heritage.

The positive influence he provides for South Asian youth by following his dreams is undeniable. Young Aanakh Bhullar planned out his outfit well in advance, and after his bhangra lessons he would even practise at home while pretending to be on stage with his idol. Dosanjh made that moment happen.

He also demonstrated how meaningful this concert was to him personally in multiple crowd addresses where he congratulated the audience on hitting this milestone: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You made this dream come true. My dream and yours. And for our kids, you made their dreams come true. Give yourselves a round of applause. You created history today. I didn't do it, you did this. You created this for the next generation so that they know that they too can fill stadiums. Why can't they?”

His emotional connection with the audience was palpable, especially during his incredible rendition of Main Hoon Panjab, which is literally translated as “I am Panjab.” He pointed to the crowd while he sang the song, implying that we are all representations of Punjab and our accomplishments make Punjab proud.

Neesha Hothi, Burnaby