Sreelatha M

Who doesn’t like a good prince or a Nawab? It is romantic to think of fairy stories with princes and princesses, provided the princes behave themselves and do not turn into tyrannical monsters, as they are likely to do in real life.

Here is a prince who has not only been a symbol of charity and compassion, but is surrounded by music and melody wherever he is.

Heard of the Prince of Arcot? He is Nawabzada Mohammad Asif Ali, the son of the Nawab of Arcot.

The Prince of the Arcot family holds a quiet but steady influence in Chennai’s social and cultural life; the palace is a centre of humanitarian initiatives led by the Arcot Foundation.

Nawabzada Mohammad Asif Ali at a public function

The present Prince, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, is regarded with affection, but much of the visible day-to-day outreach — charity drives, interfaith events and other initiatives — is handled by his son, Nawabzada Mohammed Asif Ali.

Asif Ali’s presence is felt most strongly in the many small relief efforts, which are carried out through the Arcot Foundation, for the poor, irrespective of religion.

While Asif Ali has become the public face of the family’s humanitarian work, appearing at relief efforts, speaking at community gatherings, and maintaining warm ties with leaders across faiths, the nawabzada has attracted attention for some great music emanating from the palace doors.

Under him, Amir Mahal also holds cultural and interfaith meetings. He keeps personal contact with leaders of other communities and attends conferences hosted by religious leaders.

Nawabzada Asif Ali with his family

Nawabzada cut an album, Raaste, and it was a pleasant surprise for his fans and followers.

The album was released by none other than A R Rahman, whom the prince holds in warm regard.

He says that Raaste, which he composed and sang, stands for all that the Prince of Arcot family has been striving for -- the harmony of different paths and the reality that all paths lead to one destination. "Differences are fine, and it's not that one road is better than the other.

The song, pleasant on the ears and uplifting on the spirit, was shot in the deserts of the Middle East.

Nawabzada Asif Ali distributing awards

Talking about the making of his song video and the composition of the song, the Nawabzada, who is the dewan to the Nawab of Arcot, says that it took birth one morning as he played the piano. "I struck upon a beautiful tune one morning, and wanted to stay on with it. I keep composing songs, but I usually save them on a hard disk in the library. But I felt keenly about this one.’’ 

He wrote down the lyrics…"Raaste, I wonder where they have brought me. They give me signs of the destination.I feel like touching the sky…

I have to walk on this path, find my destination and find the courage to complete the journey…’’

Then he teamed up with the best musicians and told Rahman that he had to launch it.

Nawabzada Asif Ali receiving an award in the Gulf

He says the song was inspired by the thought that moves the Arcot Foundation in all its initiatives. It is about how people follow different paths, but different paths lead to the same destination, he says in a video on the making of the album.

While Nawabzade Asif Ali remains busy with the humanitarian work of the Arcot Foundation, music has been a part of his personality. He says he has composed many songs and collaborated with Lucky Ali, who is also related to the nawab. He has also composed a song which was sung by SP Balasubramaniam. The song was used in a Tamil Movie made for the Tamils in South Africa. In fact, many other songs composed by him are part of South African Tamil films.

Situated near Vellore, Arcot is a small town in the Ramanathapuram district. But in the 17th century, when Aurangzeb sent one of his commanders to the Arcot region as his representative, it was the Carnatic region, holding parts of present Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

In 1692, Aurangzeb appointed Zulfikar Khan as the first subedar of the Carnatic with his seat at Arcot as a reward for his victory over the Marathas.

Nawabzade Asif Ali 

After the decline of the Mughals in Delhi, the subah of Arcot became a sultanate of Carnatic and had a nawab from then on. But in 1740, the Marathas defeated the nawabs. However, the rulers resumed their reign in the Carnatic region a decade later with the blessings of the British.

However, these faded pages of history really do not count when it comes to the respect that the nawabs of Arcot have earned in independent India, mainly by their positioning as secular and moderate voices amidst divisive noises.

This is why Asif Ali matters today. His work may appear quiet, but its impact is deep — bridging communities,  keeping channels of dialogue open, and shaping a public presence rooted in kindness rather than power. In a time when divisions are easy to ignite, this slow, steady stitching together of people is what makes him a genuine change-maker.

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Now the musical notes from the Amir Palace with the sounds of harmony and progress will transform royalty into something even finer.