28-year-old Muslim singer, songwriter, social media influencer, YouTuber, entrepreneur and Indian Idol contestant Farmani Naaz from Mohammedpur Mafi village in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, claims she is the original singer and composer of this powerful bhajan
Conflicting claims and counter claims abound across the internet and beyond over a popular bhajan “Har, Hara, Shambhu”, that has stormed the internet and garnered close to over 100 million views on You Tube.
On the one hand, Orissa-born Jeetu Sharma (26 years), claims he is the original writer, composer and singer of the bhajan. His duet with classical-trained Oriya singer Abhilipsa Panda (18 years, born November 30, 2004) of this bhajan, has received over 80 million views over You Tube.
On the other hand there is 28-year-old Muslim singer, songwriter, social media influencer, YouTuber, entrepreneur and Indian Idol contestant Farmani Naaz from Mohammedpur Mafi village in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh.
She maintains she is the original writer, composer and singer of “Har, Hara Shambu”. Within weeks of singing her version of this bhajan, she has been able to earn a following of over 10 million viewers on her You Tube channel.
Angered and upset by her bhajan, the Muslim clergy and hardline elements within the community were quick to point out that singing and music are against the fundamental tenets of Islam and is regarded as ‘haram’
As a result of the anger and the outcry raised by them, You Tube thought it better to discontinue playing the bhajan on their site in the larger interest of communal harmony and peace.
But this has in no way dampened Farmani’s spirits. She stands firm and unafraid, solidly backed by all her family members and most people in her village.
She says: “Creative persons and artistes, especially performing artistes, express their love for the creator through music, and this devotion is far and above all religious laws and edicts, which tend to divide rather than unite people in an amicable bond of love and harmony”.
Bollywood singer, the late Mohammed Rafi, could sing hundreds of bhajans for films and private albums, why must a single bhajan by Farmani raise eyebrows and generate so much heat, anger and controversy.
But there is a much more interesting side to “Har, Hara Shambhu”, that extends far beyond the shores of India.
In an interview to the media, both print and news channel, singer Jeetu Sharma admits that originally the musical composition for his bhajan, actually comes from a Krishna bhajan.
It had been previously written, composed and sung by a Grammy Award nominee and Black American singer, Acyuta Gopi, a devout Hindu and a follower of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness).
He says when he was working on the lyrics of “Har, Hara Shambhu”, he was absolutely blown away by the catchy, musical composition and powerful singing of Acyuta Gopi’s song “Har, Hara Krishna”.
But there is a much more interesting side to “Har, Hara Shambhu”, that extends far beyond the shores of India. In an interview to the media, both print and news channels, singer Jeetu Sharma admits that originally the musical composition for his bhajan, actually comes from a Krishna bhajan singer in the United States, Acyuta Gopi.
As if drawn by some powerful magnet, Sharma could not resist the idea of immediately writing to Acyuta, seeking permission to use her musical composition for his bhajan.
Acyuta Gopi very kindly and graciously agreed to allow Sharma to use her music as the tune for his bhajan.
More about Farmani Naz
Adverse circumstances often become the strongest drivers of change along that steeply uphill and ragged road to success, riches and fame.
Farmani’s case is no different. The eldest of four siblings, she was born into a life of extreme poverty to farm labourer Mohammed Arif and Fatima, her parents. Arif just about manged to eke out a living as a daily wage earner and keep life ticking along at a subsistence level.
In such a situation, education was the biggest casualty and Naz had to discontinue her studies after Grade 8. A short-lived marriage in her early teens to Imran, from Hasanpur village in Meerut district, only brought her more suffering, forcing her return to her parents’ home with her three-year-old son.
A congenital defect in her son’s throat turned her husband and in-laws against her who wished to have nothing to do with her. Back in her village, Naz started out to earn a living, doing the only thing she knew best – Singing.
Her beautiful, crystal-clear voice became her strongest ambassador and harbinger of good times. After, Ashu Bachchan a performing artiste from her village posted a video of her singing a popular song by Lata Manageshkar on his You Tube channel, she became an overnight celebrity.
That first music video has her singing Lata Mangeshkar’s song “Milo Na tum Toh Hum Ghabraayein” as she paints her house. The video recorded over 9.4 million views. Farmani has also got a chance to record a song with singer Kumar Sanu.
Now there is no looking back and today she owns her own recording studio worth more than a crore of rupees. Her brother Farman, is also a gifted singer and features in most of her music videos.
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