Ali had to face a lot of opposition from his family and community.

'My parents, relatives all opposed my decision... I expected strong reactions from them. It all continued for several months. However, during the period I managed to convince an aged Muslim cleric, whom my father respected a lot,' he said.

'It was the cleric, who softened the stand of my father, who allowed me to sing devotional songs even though a number of relatives were still against the decision,' he added.

Now, Ali, along with his 21-year-old son, performs in several of Varanasi's prominent temples, including Sankata Mata, Sheetla Mata and a number of mutts.

'Listening to Rojanbhai is really charming. We really feel proud to have him in our village as an example of the Ganga-Jamuni (syncretic) culture,' said Aman Chandra, a resident of Jalhupur village near Chaubeypur town.

Echoing similar sentiments, Paras Kumar, a resident of the same village, said: 'The best thing about Rojan is that he does not charge any money for singing bhajans. We voluntarily give him money for his performance.'

(Asit Srivastava can be contacted at asit.s@ians.in)