When Sonu Nigam, in a series of tweets, lambasted the adjacent mosques for conducting azaan with blaring loudspeakers, little did he know that he would be stirring up a hornet’s nest, displeasing two communities, who till now had fed themselves with the thought that they could exploit India and her traditions at will.
Early morning, on 17th April, Sonu Nigam, in a flurry of tweets, expressed his displeasure. Needless to say, the self appointed guardians of Religion and Secularism were extremely miffed by this defiance. They started lecturing Sonu Nigam on Islamic values, keeping one traditions alive and all the same old rhetoric, while conveniently attacking Sanatan customa and the national symbols for no reason whatsoever.
However, unlike Zaira Wasim, who chickened out on the threats by Islamic fundamentalists, Sonu wasn’t ready to take this lying down. A devout disciple of Goddess Durga, Sonu bounced back at his detractors with elan, taking some inspiration from another legendary singer Kishore Kumar , who had once refused to bow to the whims and fancies of Sanjay Gandhi during the dark days of the Emergency. He mentioned that he had spared none in his criticism, forget the mosques alone .
However, this is not all. Amidst the tussle of tweets, one Islamic cleric Syed Ali Shah Atif Ali Qaderi, vice president of the notorious West Bengal Minority United Council, issued the following fatwa:-
“If anyone can shave his head, put a garland of old torn shoes around his neck, and tour him around the country, I personally announce a reward of ₹ 10 lakh to that person.”
However, instead of buckling down, Sonu Nigam boldly accepted the challenge, and not only shaved his head, but also asked the Maulana to keep the reward handy for the barber at the job, Alim.
This shaved head defiance has a hidden message, it is time to stop buckling down to the terror of Islamic fundamentalism. Instead of running away from the problem, Sonu Nigam decided to tackle the problem HEAD ON. While hypocrites like Sushant Singh Rajput howl on Sanjay Leela Bhansali slapgate, dropping surnames in protest and conveniently avoid questions on Kulbhushan Jadhav, people like Sonu Nigam and Adnan Sami keep our faith alive. I hope Pooja Bhatt is listening.
With his bold and ‘bald’ move, while Sonu Nigam has left his enemies dumbstruck, he has also held the flag of India and her ideals aloft. The nation is proud of you , Sonu Nigam. As for his detractors, in the words of Sonu:-
Tu kab yeh Janegi, Tu Kab yeh Manegi,
Tu hai Janejana, Tu Meri Mehbooba,
Socha nahin Socha, Tune Kabhi…..
Socha nahin Socha, Tune Kabhi Dilruba.
(When you’ll know, When you’ll accept?
You’re my sweetheart, my love.
Thought it or not, did you my Love?…..)