Dara Singh warned Daler Mehndi not to return to India after ’84 riots: ‘They said, saare dushman hain wahan humare’

The singer said that he once performed at a show where stars such as Dara Singh and Kabir Bedi were in attendance. Daler Mehndi said after the show got over, all of them were happy, but Dara Singh put his foot down when the singer told him about his plan to move back home.

“He said if I want to make a career for myself, I can do that very well even in America, there was no reason to go back to India. Several other people also started saying the same thing. The 1984 riots had just happened, and this was the year 1986. I was told ‘Kya diya India ne? Waha koi rasta nahi hai, jaga nahi hai, waise he saare dushman hain wahan humare.'”

The singer recalled how his dream of returning to India wasn’t taken seriously then, but he was determined. “A friend of mine joked that of course I should go to India, Bappi Lahiri, RD Burman are all waiting for me, that without me anyway there is no one to sing. Everyone started laughing. Two months later, I quietly booked myself a one-way ticket to India. I had work permit there and was about to get a Green Card a month later. I thought if I stay here, I will be trapped and won’t be able to do what I wanted to,” he added.