Singer songwriter and composer Anuv Jain is still absorbing the scale and emotion of his December 25 performance in Ludhiana, the city he calls home. Known for songs like Husn and Jo Tum Mere Ho, he believes performing in familiar surroundings adds a layer of ease and intensity that no other venue quite matches. For him, a hometown concert removes the distance that often exists between the stage and the crowd. He shares, “Performing in my hometown is honestly the best feeling ever. It is the easiest thing in many ways. You step out of your house, go to the venue, and perform. But when you see familiar faces in the crowd and the kind of love they give you, it hits you differently. I grew up here. Coming back and playing songs, I once dreamt of performing while going to school here means everything to me. I am just grateful I got the chance to do that.” Live performances, he feels, offer rare validation for the otherwise solitary process of songwriting. He says, “You finally get to meet the people who listen to your music, thousands of them. You see them smile, sometimes cry, and you realise that what you are writing alone in your bedroom is having a real impact on people’s lives. That connection is the best part of a live gig.”
Anuv Jain during his concert in Ludhiana (Angad Patil)
The Ludhiana show left him with several lasting impressions. He recalls the handmade posters in the crowd, the backstage interactions, and the loud response to tracks like Inaam, his latest release, and the Aise Kaise Vaise segment of Arz Kiya Hai. Yet one moment stood above the rest. He shares, “My family being in the crowd was the highlight. That is not something I experience often because I usually travel with my team. My mother and relatives mostly see me perform on YouTube. Every time I looked at them, I wondered if they were having a good time.” Several family members attended the concert, seated right in front of the stage. He says, “Every time I looked to the left, I could see them smiling and singing along. My mother, my sister, my wife, my cousins, were all there. It was surreal.” He adds that Ludhiana continues to hold a special place in his touring calendar. “It is always one of my favourite places to perform.”
