Sumon Chattopadhyay
nkdat...@my-deja.com
26 August, 2000
Bengali singer defends conversion to Islam
The Times of India News Service
CALCUTTA: Popular Bengali singer Suman Chattopadhyay, or Kabir Suman as
he is known after he converted to Islam in May this year, on Friday
claimed he changed his religious faith not to marry Sabina Yasmin but
to protest against the forceful conversion of Adivasis and Muslims by
fascist Hindu groups, RSS and VHP.
"I have been brought up in a Hindu family and I have seen the kind of
hatred the Hindus have for the Muslims. My friend, Afroz, a journalist,
married a Hindu. When they went looking for a flat in Hindu-dominated
areas, the owners were willing to let them a place only if it was in
the wife's name. Few months ago, in Dhakuria, a Muslim couple could not
get a house only because they were Muslims," says Suman. Disgusted, he
has embraced Islam impressed by its egalitarian character.
Right now, he has more reasons to feel disgusted. His fourth wife Maria
has filed a petition accusing him of inflicting mental and physical
cruelty upon her.
"I have never touched a woman to inflict physical torture, " says
Suman. Yes, enough animosity had cropped in their relationship to
compel him to leave home. He has been living separately for three years
and nine months now, he claimed.
Suman met Maria in 1988 in Cologne where he was working as a senior
editor in the Voice of Germany. By then the "paradoxical notion" that
he had to write his own songs to express himself and the turmoil of the
times had got the better of him. He was well into music, his "first
love." "I was busy, had a lot of things to do. I was taking lessons in
western classical music from Beltrami, an Italian gentleman." Maria was
a house-wife, just divorced, with five children and a year older to
him. Their friendship gradually matured into love.
In 1989, Suman returned to Calcutta. Maria came in 1990. Next year they
married. "It was my fourth marriage and I wanted it to last. I have
never fathered a child. So, I adopted Maria's fifth child," recounts
Suman.
The man who sways young hearts with his love songs has had a troubled
marital life. He has been in and out of love. "Every woman I have got
involved with has enriched me," he says. He blames his fate for his
failed marriages. But, he says, "I, like any other human being, am not
without fault. I get angry very fast. But, I am never violent. I take
out my anguish in my songs. The charges about conjugal violence are
absolutely fabricated. "
He feels that Maria could not take his soaring popularity. Maria
married him when he was a nobody. With the release of his album, Tomake
Chai in 1992, his success curve steadily moved upward. "We found it
difficult to cope with the change in our life. Earlier, we used to play
carom together. But, then I seldom had time for the child or Maria. I
could not be the perfect father or husband. The telephone would not
stop ringing. There would be lots of people visiting me, including
female fans. The outer world claimed my time," he says. Four hours
after his father's death, he performed at a concert in Kalyani. In
return, he was earning money.
Gradually Maria felt more insecure. "She suspected all Bengali women.
She could not accept any woman who came to see me. I could understand
her problem. In the first five years of our marriage, I never went out
alone, except once, and that too with her permission. Every love song I
wrote, she would ask who it was for. She could not understand that it
was not inspired by any one person but by the concept of love. I love
to love. I have proclaimed my love for Maria at concerts. 'Tomar tulona
khujini kakhono' is written for her, " says Suman.
But, things only went downhill. "In 1996, she made the ultimate racist
statement against Bengalis and I left the house. In February 1997, I
went back because she called me up to say that a Bengali daily had
quoted her, when she hadn't spoken to any journalist. But, I lived in
the drawing room. My food came from outside. I could not entertain any
friends. So in 1998, I moved into my parent's house in Baishnabghata.
Maria is still living in my house. Till August 2000, I have been paying
them Rs 10,000 per month. All accounts are joint, except the one I
opened when I bought a car on loan in February 1997. Even the 12-string
guitar that Pete Seeger presented to me is there in that house.
During our separation, Maria obtained written permission from me to use
lines from my song on greetings cards, a business that she was in,"
says Suman. In 1998, in Dhaka, he met Sabina Yasmin. "I wanted to start
life afresh. We decided to live together. But, I was getting old and it
could not carry on that way for long. so, we married. " What if the
court declares the marriage void? "I shall accept the verdict and we
will wait till the time we can remarry."
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Artho-niti-bid
nkdat...@my-deja.com wrote:
> Times Of India
> 26 August, 2000
>
> Bengali singer defends conversion to Islam
> The Times of India News Service
>
> CALCUTTA: Popular Bengali singer Suman Chattopadhyay, or Kabir Suman
as
> he is known after he converted to Islam in May this year, on Friday
> claimed he changed his religious faith not to marry Sabina Yasmin but
> to protest against the forceful conversion of Adivasis and Muslims by
> fascist Hindu groups, RSS and VHP.
>
>Right now, he has more reasons to feel disgusted. His fourth wife Maria
>has filed a petition accusing him of
>inflicting mental and physical cruelty upon her.
Dear Nibir Kanti Duttttt :
Every one here in SCB is rather concerned with your
current state of mind given the kinds of articles that you
are posting. Hope you become well soon.
-- Arthonitibid.
Ahmed Harrison
Journalistic information of this nature about real people and events goes a
long way to balance the dubious, half-brained personal rants that fills
these newsgroups.
cheers
Ahmed Harrison
nkdat...@my-deja.com
26 August, 2000
Suman eludes CID raid team at home, office
By Our Correspondent
Kolkata, Aug. 25
A CID team on Friday night hunted in vain for singer Suman
Chattopadhyay after his estranged wife had filed a torture case. CID
sources said they raided his home at 19G, Baishnabghata Bylane, and his
office in south Kolkata, but failed to find him.
Suman’s estranged wife Maria had moved court on Thursday. The court had
directed the CID to treat her petition as an FIR and to investigate the
matter. The CID has not yet reported the raids to the Jadavpur police
station, officer-in-charge Salil Bhattacharya said. Though DIG (CID)
Partha Bhattacharya was not available for comment and IG Tapan
Chattopadhyay was out of town, sources in the department confirmed that
a raid had taken place.
Maria’s lawyer Tamal Kanti Mukherjee said Suman was running from place
to place to elude the raid team because he feared he would be arrested.
Maria is also planning a bigamy case against Suman, who has married a
Bangladeshi singer after embracing Islam.
“I don’t mind his changing his religion, but even in Islam it is
mandatory to seek the consent of the first wife before marrying again.
I will file a bigamy suit soon,” Maria told The Asian Age.
Mr Mukherjee, however, admitted there was still no documentary evidence
about Suman’s second marriage. “We learnt about his second marriage
from some newspapers, which is not sufficient evidence. Only if the
police establishes his second marriage during its investigations can we
start a bigamy case,” he said. Maria said she had not told her parents
in Germany about the turn her life has taken. “I don’t want to disturb
them,” she said.
Fellow-singers, meanwhile, were shocked at reports of Maria’s charges
against Suman. “It is hard to believe that such a brilliant singer
could stoop to such a level,” said one of them, who did not wish to be
named. Maria has accused Suman of violent behaviour whenever she
questioned him about his affairs with other women. She had alleged he
had warned her that in this country it is possible to get someone
killed for Rs 50.
sub...@nospam.earthlink.net
linen in public. The insane episode continues. His excuses seem typical, his
violence very real. Is trying to show his fourth wife as the evil one in public
press a pattern of his mental abuse?
So much for this moron who took the so-called progressives for a wild ride...
A.
arj...@my-deja.com
as a singer and lyricist. It is difficult to pass judgements
about the problems between him and his former wife without
having lived their lives. It is possible that some who had
an axe to grind with Suman are taking this opportunity to
suggest, see, what a brute he is! For example, I have seen a
racist trend here in America to show colored husbands as somehow
less capable of taking care of their wives. As if they are
more violent or something.
On the positive side, many other women who are real victims
of violent(physical/emotional) treatment from their husbands,
will get courage to come out to push their case
after this incident. When will
the reverse occur? That is, husbands pushing their case? :-)
In article <39A9B21C...@Nospam.earthlink.net>,
sub...@nospam.earthlink.net
-- arj...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
> Suman babu's personal life has little to do with his career
> as a singer and lyricist. It is difficult to pass judgements
> about the problems between him and his former wife without
> having lived their lives. It is possible that some who had
> an axe to grind with Suman are taking this opportunity to
> suggest, see, what a brute he is! For example, I have seen a
> racist trend here in America to show colored husbands as somehow
> less capable of taking care of their wives. As if they are
> more violent or something.
It's time you start reading what's being posted. The article
clearly enunciates Suman babu's position. It's his defense
which had been posted in that TOI article. His fourth and
still now legal wife Maria had filed a lawsuit accusing him
of inflicting mental and physical cruelty upon her. Suman Babu
married his fifth wife before divorcing
his fourth one. Legally in India he cannot practise polygamy or
be married to two women unless he is a Muslim in India. Thus his conversion is a suspect and hence
the lingering question of the
likelihood of his fifth marriage getting voided. Both the Courts
and the Muslim community at large had criticized in recent past the luminaries who converted to
Islam to practise polygamy.
Suman Babu's infidelity is nobody's business. But when he washes his
dirty linen in public, then he do become an object of public ridicule.
If he's found to be a wife-beater, then however it's everybody's concern.
Suman babu had appropriated the so-called progressive values and causes
in order to rise in popularity. When he shams himself in public or if
it is found, that truly, he is a wife abuser, then he does great
disservice to the progressive causes and to the progressive community
at large.
Personally I found his interview to be reprehensible as he was actually
berating his wife by using the press. He sounds pathetic and makes
a last plunge to gain public attention by trying out notoriety
this time. His lyrics and songs would soon be written off
as croonings of an egomaniac. Suman Babu R.I.P. in public
latrines.
Your analogy is not even pertinent to this article and discussion.
>
> On the positive side, many other women who are real victims
> of violent(physical/emotional) treatment from their husbands,
> will get courage to come out to push their case
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> after this incident. When will
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
How does this incident help women to come out to push their
cases??? Did you read the article ?? Infact it shows that
if the guy is famous, he can use the press to defame and humiliate
the woman.
> the reverse occur? That is, husbands pushing their case? :-)
Stop hallucinating!!!
arj...@my-deja.com
> Islam to practise polygamy.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Suman Babu's infidelity is nobody's business. But when he washes his
Why should Suman Babu's infidelity be nobody's business,
but his alleged intention to practise polygamy under the tutelage
of Islam be everybody's business. As is reported in the article,
Suman Babu's fourth wife's suspicion about his infidelity was
the major cause her emotional trauma. Now, the questtion is, did
Suman Babu's fourth wife practise infidelity, herself? Or create
emotional/physical trauma to Suman Babu thru some other ways?
Since, we do not know all these personal details, nor do we
want to know, we do not want to judge Suman Babu by the standards
of his personal life. Only thing we all know about him is his
rather brilliant musical career.
> dirty linen in public, then he do become an object of public ridicule.
> If he's found to be a wife-beater, then however it's everybody's
concern.
> Suman babu had appropriated the so-called progressive values and
causes
> in order to rise in popularity. When he shams himself in public or if
> it is found, that truly, he is a wife abuser, then he does great
> disservice to the progressive causes and to the progressive community
> at large.
What are progressive causes? Keeping your personal life a dark
secret?
> Personally I found his interview to be reprehensible as he was
actually
> berating his wife by using the press. He sounds pathetic and makes
> a last plunge to gain public attention by trying out notoriety
> this time. His lyrics and songs would soon be written off
> as croonings of an egomaniac. Suman Babu R.I.P. in public
> latrines.
>
> Your analogy is not even pertinent to this article and discussion.
>
Your personal feelings not contested.
> >
> > On the positive side, many other women who are real victims
> > of violent(physical/emotional) treatment from their husbands,
> > will get courage to come out to push their case
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > after this incident. When will
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> How does this incident help women to come out to push their
> cases??? Did you read the article ?? Infact it shows that
> if the guy is famous, he can use the press to defame and humiliate
> the woman.
Obviously, you are saying that if a guy is not famous, he cannot
use the press to defame and humiliate the woman. As you know, most
guys are not famous. It will help those women.
>
> > the reverse occur? That is, husbands pushing their case? :-)
>
> Stop hallucinating!!!
You don't believe that husbands can be abused by wives?!
Arjoe
arj...@my-deja.com
counter-assumptions about his intentions and expectations
bring up an interesting issue. Without making any further
comment about Suman babu's specific case (about which I
am simply not qualified to comment), one can find a parallel
in the domain of inforacism on which I write on this forum.
I have noticed an interesting way to disturb creative people
by publicizing their unknown/unexpressed (explicitly) intentions
or expectations, and then hitting them on that basis. This
way, part of their resources/energies would be wasted fighting
those "watches" that result from those scenarios (often false).
The purpose is to make them less competitive/enterprising in
their main field of work. Sort of like splitting them into two
selves. This is a very modern and sophisticated form of inforacism.
Arjoe