A Homecoming

[sm78]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...ow/1945418.cms
KOLKATA: Aasish Khan, the son of sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, has embraced Hinduism, sparking off a raging debate and heartache to the 84-year-old father who has told TOI his son was besmirching his illustrious family’s name.

Aasish, who has already changed his surname to Debsharma through affidavit on August 19, claims his family was never really Muslim. "We were originally Brahmins and used the surname Debsharma. My great-grandfather Sadananda Debsharma took the title of Khan, which is not a surname and is used by Hindus and Christians... due to compulsions. We never converted to Islam."

His dad is distraught. In an email to TOI from the US, where Ali Akbar has settled down, he said: "I do not support his (Aasish’s) choice. Unfortunately, many statements made by my son in the newspaper regarding the history of my family are incorrect. My family has been Muslims for many generations, and we will remain Muslims. It is a shame that he is trying to reinvent the history of our family and in turn hurting the past generation of our family."

Aasish's 'reinvention' is that his ancestors were Hindus. He claims his family even prayed to goddesses Kali and Saraswati. He said he was never asked to follow Islamic rituals or offer namaz and his grandfather had given Hindu names to him and his siblings — Dhyanesh, Pranesh and Amaresh.

"Staunch Muslims have opposed my decision," he said. "They did not realise we were never converted to Islam. I would like to make it clear that the only religion our family believes in is music," said the 60-something Aasish.

Ali Akbar Khan, who juggles his classes at Ali Akbar College of Music and three dialysis sessions a week with his rare concerts across the world, is hurt and the music fraternity stunned by Aasish’s claim.

The Ali Akbar family is not an ordinary family — his father Allaudin Khan is the founder of the Maihar gharana and his disciples, including Ravi Shankar, Nikhil Banerjee and Ali Akbar, have dominated the Hindustani classical music world for years.

A rarest of the rare high profile comeback. There have been cases of celebrities and intellectuals converting to Islam making a public drama (a kaeralian poet, a noted singer in bengal).

note: This is punishable by death in Islam. Lets see if any mullah comes out with a fatwah and any pious jehadi willing to implement it.

[Believer]

Hope all is going well with Aasish Debsharma. Any follow up news on his music career?

[Believer]

Namaste,

Anyone hear any more about this story?

Pranam.

[Jainarayan]

Namaste.

Originally Posted by Believer

Namaste,

Anyone hear any more about this story?

Pranam.

Yes, it's old news. Six years old news, to be precise. Moreover, Ali Akbar Khan has been dead since June 2009. Aashish Khan never denied being Hindu. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aashish...ous_conversion

His grandfather Ustad Allaudin Khan (I know, ustad is the muslim equivalent of pandit; ustad comes from Persian) was such a devotee of Maa Saraswati that he refused to relocate for more lucrative offers because he wouldn't leave the area Her temple is.

That comes from the LP jacket liner of the tribute concert album Ravi Shankar & Ali Akbar Khan in Concert 1972, in honor of Ustad Allaudin Khan who had recently died. I don't believe there was ever any challenge to that write-up from Ali Akbar Khan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aashish_Khan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aashish_Khan#Teaching Seems to be doing well.

[Believer]

Namaste,

Originally Posted by Jainarayan

Yes, it's old news. Six years old news, to be precise.

Indeed it is, I must have been in deep sleep. Thanks for all the info.

Pranam.

[ShriBala]

Originally Posted by Believer

Namaste,

Indeed it is, I must have been in deep sleep. Thanks for all the info.

Pranam.

He must be trying to wash his sins away before croaking. He is in his 70s. Even the fatwawadis would not be interested in burka bombing him.

[Jainarayan]

Namaste.

Originally Posted by Believer

Namaste,

Indeed it is, I must have been in deep sleep. Thanks for all the info.

Pranam.

No problem. I've followed the careers and family since I first saw Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan play together at The Concert For Bangladesh, in 1971? 1972? I was about 13 or 14. I was mesmerized and fell in love with Indian music.

The aforementioned album Ravi Shankar & Ali Akbar Khan in Concert 1972 is no longer in print, even on CD, but I was lucky enough to find that some kind soul posted it on Youtube in 3 sections. I was able to download it as an mp3 and burn a CD. I have the vinyl LP in a box in the shed, with no turntable to play it on anymore.

Btw, Ustad Allah Rakha, the tabla player they collaborated with also passed away. His daughter died, and he died the next day of a heart attack. He is the father of tabla player Zakir Hussein. So of that trio, only Ravi Shankar is left, at 92 years old.

But that's probably more than you needed or wanted to know.

[Jainarayan]

Originally Posted by ShriBala

Even the fatwawadis would not be interested in burka bombing him.

They're probably too much in a dither about the goings-on in the KSA.