For 35 years, O.S. Arun has been a professional singer of Carnatic music, a classical genre popular in South India. It’s an embellished form of singing frequently backed by the tanpura, a long-necked, stringed instrument that emits a constant drone. He’s recorded several dozen albums.
Arun is famous for adapting outside songs to Carnatic style. He once performed a Carnatic version of “Danny Boy” onstage in Ireland. He also played a Carnatic tribute to the late Beatle George Harrison alongside the Indian musician Ravi Shankar and others at London’s Royal Albert Hall during a concert featuring Eric Clapton and Ringo Starr.
But this summer, when Arun advertised a concert of Christian hymns in Carnatic style, social media erupted, calling him a traitor to his Hindu faith.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
