NEW DELHI – Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, who has been featured on the cover of The New York Times' Outlook Turning Points' collector's issue, has written a first person article titled “Being a Khan.” The 47-year-old actor, popularly known as King Khan, has written about what it takes to be a Muslim post 9/11 and what India means for the world as a Muslim power. He has also revealed heart-wrenching exposes about some political leaders who want him to go back to his ‘original' homeland, which according to them is Pakistan. Below are the excerpts from Khan's article: n I sometimes become the inadvertent object of political leaders who choose to make me a symbol of all that they think is wrong and unpatriotic about Muslims in India. There have been occasions when I have been accused of bearing allegiance to our neighbouring nation (Pakistan) rather than my own country – this even though I am an Indian, whose father fought for the freedom of India. Rallies have been held where leaders have exhorted me to leave and return what they refer to my ‘original' homeland. n I gave my son and daughter names that could pass for generic (pan-India and pan-religious) ones – Aryan and Suhana. The Khan has been bequeathed by me so they can't really escape it. I pronounce it with my epiglottis when asked by Muslims and throw the Aryan as evidence of their race when non-Muslims enquire. I imagine this will prevent my offspring from receiving unwarranted eviction orders or random fatwas in the future.” n Ironically, I was interrogated at the airport for hours about my last name when I was going to promote the film in America for the first time. – SG
