India is not for beginners. So goes a viral meme featuring a selection of images: A man getting his beard shaved on a bike parked by the side of a road; another riding a cow down a busy street; a notice at a petrol pump that reads “you can’t get petrol in plastic bottles here”. Even beyond the stereotypes, the uninitiated should anticipate sights and experiences that happen, as the 1998 song featuring Govinda put it, “only in India”. On Sunday, another image — of international pop star Ed Sheeran being interrupted by a beat cop while busking on Church Street in Bengaluru — joined the ranks.
But Sheeran, who began his career busking in the UK and has since done surprise performances across the world, is no stranger to India. He marked his concert debut here in 2015 and has returned several times. He has collaborated with many Indian artists, even singing in Hindi, Telugu and Punjabi. Yet, the country managed to take him by surprise when, despite permission to perform — as he claimed in a statement later — his street concert was unceremoniously ended when a cop pulled the plug on it. This is hardly a one-off experience for international artists. In 2015, comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s first-ever performance in India was cancelled over parking issues in Mumbai. Another comic, Trevor Noah, was late to his own show in Bengaluru after getting stuck in a traffic jam and had to call off two shows over technical issues. In India, the biggest of stars should be prepared for humbling experiences, whether at the hands of a cop or just plain uncontrollable circumstances.
