Thread by @satty643

Crossover Tales : In this thread I will explore couple of folk tales which depicts the cross over of old India to islamic faith. The readers are requested not to reduce the process to simple binary debate. There are enough complexities. Please avoid easy conclusions here..

While reading I came across a curious term Hussaini Brahmins. This looks to me as an oxymoron. I decided to do some quick research on it. I fund that these were some sects of Brahmins of Lahore city in undivided Punjab before 1947.

According to the legend it is believed that it there forefathers have taken part in the battle of Karbala and have sacrificed their life in that battle. The story goes that one of their ancestor named Rahab Sidh Dutta, was trader of in Arab world.

Oral tale says it was he who gave the promise to Prophet Mohammed to stand by truth. Later on he held on to his promise and alongside seven of his sons sacrifice their life fighting for Imam Hussain in the Karbala battle.

This article in in Dawn claimed that in the holy city of Qom in Iran, the sacrifices of of these Hussaini Brahmins are documented and recognized.

dawn.com/news/766877/ka…

Since then these people celebrate Muharram with same passion as any muslims. A popular saying referring to their interfaith living is as follow

“Wah Dutt Sultan,
Hindu ka dharm,
Musalman ka Iman,
Adha Hindu adha Musalman”.

One of the most prominent member of Hussaini Brahmin Community is Sunil Dutt. Sunil Dutt belonged to Lahore.

He did a contribution for Imran Khan Cancer Hospital in Lahore. He also did some sort of a cancer related work after the death of his wife Nargis due to pancreas cancer. The recorded words of Sunil Dutt while making donation was..

Sunil Dutt:

‘For Lahore, like my elders, I will shed every drop of blood and give any donation asked for, just as my ancestors did when they laid down their lives at Karbala for Hazrat Imam Husain.’

Sanjay Datt was always well respected even by the opposition in politics. I distinctly remember his making foot travel from Mumbai to Amritsar during the Punjab problem days.

But this new information gave a new twist his personality.

Married to Nargis famous actress. She had a long affair with another famous actor Raj Kapoor. Common talk is that after breakup with Raj Kapoor and in one of the hero act — Sanjay Dutt saving the life of Nargis in fire accident while shooting of Mother India -that the two joined.

But this new information twisted everything in my mind. Some reports even suggests that Nargis family -Punjabi family- converted to Islam under the umbrella of Hussani Brahmins. So it was easy for her to move back to Hinduism within same umbrella.

I also kept thinking about the case of his son Sanjay Dutt who was jailed for for keeping AK 47 ( supplied by ISI of Pakistan) during 1992 riots.

In the post Babri masjid demolition Bombay riots of 1992-93, the Muslims of Bombay took a heavy beating from Shiv Sena.

I had impression till now that Sanjay Dutt -because of his mother being Muslim or just being good man sympathetic to side beaten up- took side in favor of Muslims. But this Hussaini Brahmin angle brings all all new dimension to his case.

Other prominent member of Hussaini Brahmin communities are academician VN Dutta and Journalist Jamnadas Akhtar. Internet also tells that about 125 families of Hussaini Brahmans have shifted to Pune post partition.

The crossover from an old Hindu world to Islamic faith is a deeply contested idea.
But in some of these folktales or legends the anxieties, anguish, the pain, the process, and that adjustment of this cross over from old world to the new faith can still be felt.

The story of Husseni Brahmins is the story of of a city people- in some way privileged ones.

Let me now give another tale which is more from broader population side. This one pertains to to the tale of of shrine of Uch, in the Bhawalpur around the border of Sindh and Punjab.

Uch is an old historical City. Ibn battuta has visited in 14th century during his travel to India.

It is famous for its fertility Shrine.

The Shrine is very popular among women particularly those who are seeking children. They often made offerings in the shrine and when they had a children they came back with more offerings.

The local belief is that the Shrine has Ali footprint on black granite pillar.
Ali the son in law and cousin of holy Prophet.

It is believed that the black granite pillar has been brought from Baghdad by a Muslim Saint with the help of djinns (powerful spirits) on a wall.

The shrine is managed by the Peer- inheritors /descendant of of Saint who bought the wall from Baghdad. Peer is believed to solve many other problems — dealings with demons and other medical problems.

you tube showing the Ali’s Footprint in Uch shrine.

I am not sure whether the story of of Ali’s footprint is believed by larger Islam theologians or not — as that’s not the objective of this work. But what is important is the Islamic touch to the shrine -Ali’s footprint from Baghdad.

Local land with most likely an old shrine, covered with start of the Islamic faith. Djinns bringing Ali’s footprint from Baghdad - the center of Islamic civilization. Mix it with local mystical man with power to solve daily everyday problems of the people.

Fabulous!!!

The steady grinding of an old world in favor of Islamic faith and the fight back of the old world is recurrent theme in North and west of subcontinent. Once you developed an eye for it you find it again and again in history and popular culture.

The two tales- Hussaini Brahmins and Ali’s footprint in Uch- are different in many ways. But they are same in a sense that they represent the slice of time or culture where you can witness the crossover from old Hindu India to an Islamic faith taking place.

New adjustment of outside faith in an ancient land and witness to new equilibrium being defined. It represents the latitude and the longitude of possibilities of human minds. It’s beautiful in its own way.

Thanks for reading.

you can read the full blog here

medium.com/@satty74/cross…