On April 5, veteran singer Anuradha Paudwal expressed her views on the issue of playing Azaan on loudspeakers during an interview with Zee News. She said though she was not against any religion, things are unnecessarily exaggerated and promoted in India. She was referring to the practice of playing Azaan on loudspeakers in Mosques across the country. She added while travelling across the world, including Muslim nations, she noticed playing Azaan on loudspeakers is banned.
She said, “I have visited many places in the world. I have not seen anything like this happening except in India. I am not against any religion, but it is being forcibly encouraged here. They play Azaan on loudspeakers from Mosque. Other communities question if they can use loudspeakers why cannot others do the same.”
She further added, “I have travelled to Middle Eastern countries. There is a ban on loudspeakers. When Muslim countries are discouraging it, what is the need for such practices in India?” Paudwal said if the practice continues, people will start playing Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers. “It will lead to disharmony, which is not good,” she said.
Teach the young generation about Indian culture
Speaking on Navratri and Ramnavmi, the singer said that the young generation should be aware of the Indian culture. It is the responsibility of the older generation to teach children about the culture of the country. They should know that Adi Shankaracharya is our religious leader. She pointed out how Christians know about Pope as their religious leader. “This is why we should know about our religion and culture. We should know about four Vedas, 18 Puranas and four Mathas that we have. These are the basics that we must know,” she said.
Sonu Nigam has raised the issue before
In 2017, popular singer Sonu Nigam had also raised the issue. In a now-deleted tweet, he had expressed his displeasure about the Azaan happening on loudspeaker every morning. In retaliation, he had to face abuses on social media platforms. The courts have on several occasions directed the authorities to remove loudspeakers from places of worship, but no concrete action has been taken.
Recently, an MNS leader was arrested by Mumbai Police for playing Hanuman Chalisa on a loudspeaker without permission. Following his arrest, Mahendra Bhanushali said that the Mumbai police took away his speaker. “But I’d like to say, in the coming times, ‘Jai Shree Ram’ will be played on loudspeakers,” he said.
