indica News Bureau-
After being conferred the Padma Shri, singer and music composer Adnan Sami, came into the limelight after messages alleging that the singer’s father, Arshad Sami Khan, was a pilot in the Pakistan Air Force, in the 1965 war, and fought against India, started doing round on social media and internet alike. The Modi government that conferred the award on Sami also faced a lot of backlash from people who criticized the government for overlooking the fact that Sami was originally a Pakistani and his father served in Pak’s defense force.
Releasing his new single ‘Tu Yaad Aaya’, Sami, however remains cool about the whole issue and says that past belongs in the past and his father’s actions do not define his present. Speaking to Republic TV, he said that like politicians aren’t asked questions related to music like their knowledge of ‘Raag Darbari’, artists shouldn’t be asked about politics.
“Just like you wouldn’t ask a politician about ‘raag darbari’, so don’t ask me about politics. Let the Mughals, the British, the Mongolians, Alexander the Great and everybody else you want to bring in, be… They’ve died, they’ve done their bit. Let them rest in peace. Let’s look towards what we can do for our country instead,” he said.
He added that he feels a sense of responsibility after his Padma Shri, the 46-year-old singer said his father’s past was “irrelevant” to his present.
“I’ve been given this blessing of an award for music. My responsibility to my fans, country is through my profession, which is music. My responsibility, apart from being a responsible citizen in general, is to ensure that I give my best through music. To try and excel, give back even more,” Sami said.
“The best thing about history is, that it’s in the past and it should be kept in the past. That’s where it belongs. God gave us eyes to look forward and not back. So the most important thing is, we should forget about that because nobody from that era is alive today to answer these questions,” Sami told reporters.
