BHU row: Muslim prof’s dad sings bhajans
Jaipur, Nov. 20: The father of a Muslim professor whose appointment at the Banaras Hindu University’s Sanskrit department has triggered a row himself sings bhajans at temples and serves at a cow shelter. Nobody protests. At a temple in the premises of Shree Ramdev Gaushala Chetanya Dham in Bagru, 35 kilometres from the Rajasthan capital, Ramzan Khan on Wednesday participated in the aarti, sitting at a harmonium and singing a devotional song. The atmosphere there is in sharp contrast to the protests at BHU where a group of students are opposing the recent appointment of his son Feroze Khan.
Although the BHU has backed Feroze Khan, he has been unable to take classes over the past several days. The protesters say only a Hindu can teach Sanskrit at the university in Varanasi.
But a visit to Bagru, where the family lives in a modest three-room house, reveals that the professor grew up in an atmosphere immersed in Sanskrit and “Hindu traditions”. His father Ramzan Khan himself holds the Shastri qualification in Sanskrit, composes religious songs and performs “gau sewa” at the nearby cattle shed. At the same time, he visits offers namaz at mosque.
The local Hindu community as well as his own relatives
are okay with this.
“I was very happy when my son was appointed at the prestigious Banaras Hindu University. The protest by students is unfortunate and I would like to urge the agitating students to recognise my son and see what kind of background he has,” he said.