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Ali Sethi makes it to the TIME100 Next list

Ali Sethi makes it to the TIME100 Next list

Indian author Amitav Ghosh as the ability to use an ancient form of music, the classical raga, to challenge and expand notions of gender, sexuality, and belonging.
29 Sep, 2022

Every year, Time Magazine picks out 100 inspiring people ranging from musicians to medical professionals, government officials as well as movement leaders, and high-profile whistle-blowers alongside top CEOs for its TIME100 Next list and this year, Pakistani singer Ali Sethi is among them.

On Wednesday, he took to Instagram to share the great news. “Proud to be included in the 2022 TIME100 Next list — that too with a write-up from guru Amitav Ghosh. [In] this old-world portrait of me by Umar Nadeeem, I am wearing ZN ALI and looking pyaar-se [lovingly] at the pre-colonial past,” he captioned the post that had a picture and screenshots of the write-up attached.

The award-winning writer, most recently of book The Nutmeg’s Curse, penned some words to capture the brilliance of Sethi. “Though written in Punjabi by a Pakistani artist, Ali Sethi’s song ‘Pasoori’ has become a global sensation with close to 400 million views on YouTube. Even more remarkable, the song has found a huge following in neighbouring India despite the escalating tensions between the two countries.”

He described Sethi’s gift as the ability to use an ancient form of music, the classical raga, to challenge and expand notions of gender, sexuality, and belonging. “‘Pasoori’ is a virtuoso demonstration of how artists can, in subtle ways, subvert the restrictions that are being imposed upon them by new forms of authoritarianism and intolerance,” he added.

Ghosh stressed that the ‘Rung’ singer is doing more than spinning melodies out of words — “Sethi shows us that differences of culture, language, religion, and gender do not need to be antagonistic; they can, and always have, enriched us, and given us some of our greatest works of art,” he wrote.

The news was met by a lot of love by Sethi’s well-wishers around the globe. They included artist Misha Japanwala, filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, high-end clothing brand Rastah, singer Abdullah Siddiqui and activist Malala Yousafzai.

The ‘Chandni Raat’ singer’s friends from the other side of the border, actor Abhay Deol and singer Ankur Tewari, also expressed their glee over Sethi’s latest accomplishment.

Time also releases its TIME100 list annually. The difference between TIME100 and TIME100 Next is that the former is a group of the most influential people in the world and the latter is a group of emerging leaders influencing the world. The magazine has defined the unifying factor for the diverse individuals in TIME100 Next being their “extraordinary efforts to shape our world — and to define our future”. Congratulations to the singer!

Comments

Tanvir Khan Sep 29, 2022 05:56pm
Without the amazing Shae Gill, the Pasoori song would only be mediocre!!!
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T-man Sep 29, 2022 07:34pm
Sethi brings people together while Modi separates them.
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T-man Sep 29, 2022 07:35pm
Well deserved. Congratulations.
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Ehsan Sep 29, 2022 08:03pm
Super talented gentleman
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Aamna Sep 29, 2022 11:08pm
Shae Gill, Xulfi and all the musicians deserve credit for Pasoori as well . I like Ali's work but continue to notice that in admiring him, people tend to ignore his peers whose contribution to his songs helped create those masterpieces.
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JS Sep 29, 2022 11:20pm
That's a lovely feather in your cap. Keep adding. Cheers
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Maxx Sep 29, 2022 11:41pm
It pays to have connections!
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Syed Irfan Sep 29, 2022 11:41pm
Heartiest congratulations.
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Hassan Sep 30, 2022 12:08am
Congratulations to Sethi...
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Cye Sep 30, 2022 04:28am
Shae Gill is the reason for the song to get millions of views.
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Rao Amjad Ali Sep 30, 2022 04:43am
Well deserved! Wish you great success in your future endeavors.
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Rao Amjad Ali Sep 30, 2022 04:44am
Your hard work has paid off in spades.
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Reality Sep 30, 2022 05:26am
@T-man why u bother...when we dont
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Daniel Aziz Sep 30, 2022 05:57am
Ali Sethi is definitely one of the leading lights of the future in the realm of music. Congratulations and all the best to him for his future endeavours.
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Daniel Aziz Sep 30, 2022 06:03am
Shae Gill is definitely the integral part of Pasoori and sang really well. This girl is going to go places and has an awesome presence both vocally and visually. Congratulations to her and wish her success in everything she does in future.
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Abid Ali Sep 30, 2022 09:14am
Yet another mediocre with the right connections.
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Chaiwala Sep 30, 2022 09:23am
Hundreds of such talents went missing in the villages, small towns unnoticed. He is lucky to be in limelight. Congratulations.
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Ahmad Sep 30, 2022 10:30am
Congratulations. Ali is a gem.
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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Sep 30, 2022 01:07pm
Great move and wonderful news.
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