MUMBAI: Singer Sonu Nigam, who won people’s heart with his sweet voice, is now being criticized for his insensitive statement over the use of loudspeakers for ‘Azaan’ as hooliganism or ‘gundagardi’.
Since the 43-year-old singer was troubled by the Azaan to be heard from the mosques near his house, a BBC reporter reached Nigam’s house in the Versova area of Andheri at 5.00 am on Wednesday when the usually busy Mumbai’s roads were empty and deserted.
AWAITING AZAAN
The reporter detailed that the lights of Nigam’s house were closed and police cars were deployed outside his residence with two policemen standing outside the car.
The BBC reporter said, like her, other journalists were also waiting calmly to hear Azaan from somewhere but nobody heard it.
“Slowly all the media persons left from there. For about half an hour, I sat in front of Sonu Nigam’s house and waited to listen to Azaan but was only able to hear the sound of vehicles passing by.
Inquiries revealed that there are three mosques in the area but all of them are 600 meters from Sonu Nigam’s house.
Madarsa Talimul Quraan Trust Masjid, which is about half a kilometer away on the left side of Nigam’s house and today the in Azaan was heared at five o’clock 20 minutes.
GETTING BENEFITED FROM AZAAN
Masjid’s trustee Mehboob Khan told the BBC, “Sonu Nigam has moved 2 or 4years ago and we have been here for the past 30-35 years, no one has ever expressed any annoyance with Azaan. The place where Sonu resides, Azaan’s voice does not reach there. ”
Mehboob Khan, who is pained by Sonu’s statement, further says, “People tell us that they are benefited from Azaan. They wake up in time for work, Sonu Nigam is just spoiling the atmosphere, and it’s just a publicity stunt… ”
On the right side of Nigam’s house is the Madarsa Tul-Salai Trust and Madrasa-e-Nabwaiyahah.
Habib, who worked in the Madarsa Tul-Salai Trust, cleared that loudspeakers are not used in their mosque.
PUBLICITY STUNT?
At the same time, Trustee Ghulam of Madrasa-e-Nabwayahah confirmed Azaan on Wednesday was at 5 pm.
Commenting on the issue, Ghulam Gazi said, “Earlier, for only 1000 rupees, Sonu Nigam used to sing in the jagrans. He had forgotten how many people he had hurt. He is doing all these for publicity stunt. Now all the new singers are coming in the industry, he is not getting the songs. ”
‘I’m not a Muslim Why should I woken up by the Azaan?’
Lata Sachdev, who lives in a building named ‘Trishul’ near Nigam’s house, told the BBC that she never heard Azaan all day.
Meanwhile, Kiran Wassan, a woman in the nearby building, said that she didn’t listen Morning Prayer call till date.