Archive · 15 Aug 2026
Adnan Sami says India was always meant to be home
Adnan Sami is a famous singer who makes music.
He has a very special birthday—he was born on August 15, the same day that India celebrates its Independence Day.
Adnan says this is a sign that he was always meant to live in India.
Many years ago, he came to India for just one month to make an album with singer Asha Bhosle.
He loved India so much that he ended up staying forever.
He learned to play Indian classical music on the piano, which was a brand-new idea at the time.
In 2016, Adnan became an Indian citizen.
He says people in India loved and welcomed him, so he never wanted to leave.
He believes God made his birthday fall on August 15 to tell him that India is his true home.
Singer-composer Adnan Sami arrived in India 25 years ago on a month-long tourist visa and never left, after Asha Bhosle coaxed him to release his music in India.
Sami was born on August 15, India's Independence Day, and turns 55 on the country's 79th Independence Day, calling it 'a double whammy.'
Sami says he was the first person to play Indian classical music on the piano, and he studied the instrument's resemblance to the santoor under Pandit Shivkumar Sharma.
Sami's Pakistan passport expired in 2015 and was never renewed; he alleged on Aap Ki Adalat that Pakistan 'cannot stand' that he chose India as his home.
Sami received Indian citizenship in 2016 and said he felt at home from the early 2000s because everyone embraced him.
- Who
- Adnan Sami, a UK-born singer-composer, alongside legendary artists Asha Bhosle and Pandit Shivkumar Sharma who influenced his career.
- What
- Sami shared his personal story of why India was always meant to be his home, from his August 15 birthday and India's Independence Day to his arrival in India 25 years ago.
- When
- On August 15 (his 55th birthday and India's 79th Independence Day); he arrived in India 25 years ago and received citizenship in 2016.
- Where
- India (Mumbai and Delhi), where Sami settled; he was born in the UK and had earlier recorded in London.
- Why
- Sami says he felt a sense of home and belonging in India, was embraced by everyone, and believes God gave him an August 15 birthday as a sign that he belongs there.
- Born
- August 15 (India's Independence Day)
- Age
- 55 (on India's 79th Independence Day)
- Arrival in India
- 25 years ago, on a month-long tourist visa
- Indian citizenship
- 2016 (10 years ago)
- Pakistan passport
- Expired in 2015; renewal never accepted
- Musical claim
- First to play Indian classical music on the piano
- Music journey
- Was recording 'Kabhi To Nazar Milao' with Asha Bhosle in London
- Guru
- Pandit Shivkumar Sharma (santoor maestro)