After being trolled online for wishing his followers on Eid, accompanied by a photograph of himself in a skull cap (below), singer Shaan responded on Instagram (video above) about his perceptions of rising hate. He said being an Indian is all about respecting every faith and celebrating all festivals together, urging people to shun “polarised thoughts.”

The 50-year-old said he was being trolled for wearing a skull cap, but didn’t get the same reaction for other posts in ethnic wear, or with his head covered while visiting the Golden Temple. He also pointed out that the picture was a screenshot from a qawwali song, Karam Karde, released in 2020.

“How is it that if you show respect for someone else’s culture, clothes and religion, it hurts your own religion?” the singer said. “We are a progressive country...Indians today are respected across the globe. If we don’t have minimum respect and tolerance, how will we move forward if we regress into outdated ideas?”