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Syed Husain Shastri, a devout Muslim, is a walking encyclopaedia on the Vedas.
As the bell chimes at 8 am every morning in the RSS-run Saraswati Shishu Mandir in
Malihabad, about 30 km from here, Syed Husain Shastri recites Vedic chants to begin the day.
In Malihabad, populated mostly by Muslims, he is popularly known as Pandit Syed Husain Shastri. Not many would believe that his knowledge of Sanskrit and Vedas is better than many famous scholars of Sanskrit.
He has put to shame many a big name in Shastrartha (Debate on religious scriptures). He is a devout Muslim and offers prayers at mosque everyday. But he calls the Azaan in a different language -- Sanskrit
Every morning, he renders Vedic chants at the Saraswati Shishu Mandir. It is ritual that he has been following for the last 22 years.
He got his initial lessons in Sanskrit from renowned Sanskrit scholar Pandit Gokaran Prasad at the age of ten. Later he joined the Aminabad College in Lucknow to pursue further studies in Sanskrit.
Born on April 4, 1933 in an orthodox family of Syeds, he was criticised throughout his life by his parents, relatives, friends, ulemas of Muslim-dominated Malihabad.
Although he is devout Muslim, he is variously branded as a Kafir (non-believer in Islam) and a man who is pursuing "Kufra" (anti-Islamic activity) but he remained undeterred.
Despite his degree and proficiency, he could not get a job in Benares Hindu University because he is a Muslim. Hindus dubbed him a CIA agent while Muslims called him a Kaafir.
His friend Pandit Padmadhar Malviya helped him get recognition in society as a Sanskrit scholar. It was Malviya, a staunch RSS man, who gave him a job in the Saraswati Shishu Mandir in 1977.
Pandit Syed Husain Shastri is always surrounded, not only by students at the RSS-run Saraswati Shishu Mandir, but also by scholars who flood him with queries regarding grammar and the meaning of difficult shlokas.
He is known as the walking Veda. He can recite hundreds of shlokas and mantras and is able to explain their complex meanings with clarity. A brilliant student he is equally well versed in Hindi, Urdu, Arabic and Persian.
He is among the few who has worked
for Sanskrit theatre and wrote dialogues for the Sanskrit film "Saree".
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