A local man lured famous singer Satinder Sartaaj to Hastings.

The Indian singer, songwriter, actor and poet of Punjabi language films and songs, holder of a doctorate in music and a long list of fans, rose to fame with his song Udaarian in 2018 and became is produced worldwide.

Sartaaj has concerts booked in Auckland and Christchurch as part of his Rejenunation World Tour.

Hastings man Deep Chowdhary saw the singer was coming to New Zealand and approached the promoter of Satinder to see if it was possible to get a show in Hastings.

Chowdhary and his wife Angeline own an event management company called Happy Feet Events & Hire.

They did a few little events here and there as a hobby because they like to be happy and around people.

The Chowdharys thought it would be great to have such a show in Hastings.

Hawke’s Bay has a large community of Punjabi, Fiji Indians, Pakistanis and Indian descendants who enjoy the type of music Sartaaj sings, Chowdhary said.

“There haven’t been any live concerts in Punjabi lately, and I feel like we still miss that type of show in Hawkes Bay,” he said.

“Often my wife and I think there isn’t much entertainment for us here.”

Sartaaj is currently on his Rejenunation tour in Europe but will be in Hawke’s Bay on July 13 to perform with his musical team at Hastings Opera House.

The couple wanted Sartaaj to come to Hastings to show and share traditional Indian folk music with Hawke’s Bay and keep the culture alive in the community.

“You have to take advantage of such opportunities when you are away from home for such a long time and have children in a foreign country,” Chowdhary said.

The show is for everyone, and if the wider community is interested in this music or wants to learn more, they are encouraged to come.

“Punjabi rhythms are world famous, so I think it will appeal to local Kiwis as well.”

Sartaaj’s team said they would like to put on a show in Hastings, and Chowdary started promoting the event.

“People as far away as Wellington are interested in coming for this show as there is no Sartaaj show in Wellington,” the event manager said.

The 979 seats at the Opera will be on sale; Happy Feet Events & Hire are expecting a large turnout and a possible “full house”.

“The promotion is going very well, people are very excited and tickets will be available very soon from Eventfinda and can be purchased at the Toitoi box office,” Chowdhary said.

“This is a big step for our company, Happy Feet Events & Hire.”