There cannot be a closing of the Indian mind: Manmohan

With the Amarnath issue apparently weighing on his mind, PM Manmohan Singh sought to debunk those playing divisive politics, saying Indian tradition was marked by difference and plurality.

With the Amarnath issue apparently weighing on his mind, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought to debunk those playing divisive politics, saying Indian tradition was marked by difference and plurality.

“There cannot be a closing of the Indian mind, howsoever much a few people may try because that is against the very grain of being Indian. At the root of the Indian tradition is a mind that is comfortable with difference and plurality,” he said.

Releasing a commemorative postage stamp on shenai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan, he said the late artiste faced opposition from some Ulemas for his love for music on the ground that it tarnished the holy name of Islam.

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“Ustad Bismillah Khan with his characteristic simplicity kept quiet and recited Allah-ho-Akbar in Raga Bhairavi and later is said to have asked ‘is it a sin to pray to God in the form of a song’,” the Prime Minister noted.

“We live in times where the richest in the Indian tradition, exemplified in the lives of people like Bismillah Khan, sometimes get challenged”, he said paying glowing tributes to the Shehnai legend whom he described as ‘musical genius’.

He said it was no exaggeration to say that his music was ‘divine, soothing nerves and having a balming effect on people’.

The transformation of the Shehnai from a mere accompanying piece in concerts to a respected instrument owes a lot to the creative endeavour of Ustad Bismillah Khan, Singh said.

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Minister of Communications and Information Technology A Raja and Minister of State Jyotiraditya M Scindia were also present on the occasion.