Source: Hindustan Times
UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA, April 27, 2002: If the uncommonness of Pandit Syed Husain Shastri’s name is not enough to surprise you, his activities certainly will. For a devout Muslim, he has an unusual routine. Every morning as the bell chimes 8 at the RSS-run Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Husain begins the day with his soulful Vedic chants. It is a ritual he has faithfully followed for the last 22 years. Husain’s use of the Hindu scriptures makes him notable in Malihabad district of Uttar Pradesh, an area predominantly populated by Muslim. His knowledge of Sanskrit rivals and even betters that of many acknowledged Hindu experts. A true believer of the faith, he offers prayers at the mosque everyday. But even here he makes the Azaan, Muslim prayer, in Sanskrit. Sanskrit fascinated him from childhood. He was awarded the degree of a Shastri by the Lucknow University in 1958 after successfully completing his post-graduate studies.