Karnataka-based Suhana Sayeed probably didn’t have an inkling of the kind of controversy a simple song selection for a reality TV show could stir. A contestant in the popular show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Sayeed was praised for singing a Hindu devotional song, with judges lauding her for not only her voice but also showing people how music can be a unifying factor that goes beyond religious differences. Now, the 22-year-old has been trolled on Facebook for exactly the same reason.
However, the contestant has been abused on a social networking site with nearly 46,000 followers of the page, where a long message condemns her for singing the song on a public forum and – in front of men.
However, her talent did not matter to the fanatics who called her a disgrace to the community. It is a Facebook page called Mangalore Muslims who have been causing the trouble. Fortunately, Suhana also found supporters in the online community who are now planning to file a case against the trollers.
She won the hearts of the judges and the viewers when she sung ‘Sreekarane Srinivasane’ from Kannada film Gaja. She sung the lord Vishnu hymn without any visible error and utmost devotion. Judges Vijay Prakash and Arjun Janya, who were blindfolded, did not wait till she completed the track as they removed it to welcome her into the show.
The judges hailed her parents too and claimed in unison that the music has the power to unite the people across the religions and she has the capacity to reach the bigger levels, while wishing her good luck for her journey in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.
After Sayeed’s story and the troll post went viral, Mangalore Muslims seems to have responded with yet another post in Kannada, saying that their intention was not personal, and accused Sayeed for working on an agenda and trying to garner sympathy votes from the judges by singing a Hindu devotional song being a Muslim girl. They even accused her of betraying her community.
