I first met Marvi Sirmed -- a "Bindi wali Hindu" -- at a dinner in Islamabad three years ago. Apart from the fact that I loved her crisp cotton sari, her large round bindi and her shudh Hindi -- I also loved what she stood for -- PEACE. She wished for a truly secular Pakistan and debunked the two-nation theory.
I have spotted Marvi, a Muslim by birth, several times since. Always in her trademark sari and bindi. I am sure many mistake her to be Indian (read Hindu), even though Indians never step out in a sari in Pakistan (at least not in public spaces), let alone sport a bindi!
A few months ago, I saw Marvi being promoted from being "Indian" to "Indian agent" in a television show. I wasn't surprised at all. After all, my little-known and low-profile Pakistani Hindu neighbours are "Indians" too. I once raised the issue with one of the younger members of the family. "We've been living here for decades and everyone knows we are Pakistanis. Still they call us Indians, because we are Hindus!" he said. I felt sad for the boy.
I asked him if he would like to visit India. "Never," was his answer. "If we go to India Pakistanis call us Indian spies, and Indians call us Pakistani spies," he added.
Marvi, of course, is a bigger sinner. She has taken on the high and mighty because she believes in a Pakistan where Hindus and Christians enjoy the same rights as Muslims. For those of you who still haven't seen Pakistan's Jhansi ki Rani take on Zaid Hamid, famously famous for hating all things Indian and, more recently, for calling Marvi a bindi wali Hindu -- please do see this. Bindiya chamkegi!
Indians and Pakistanis were the same till the English came and sowed the seeds of discord and then our own bigots took over the unfinished work of the colonizers.
ReplyDeleteI have always admired Marvi ji's tweets and her fearlessness and her courage in a country where leave aside women, even men are afraid to voice their true opinions.
I enjoyed reading this article, not only because it praises a woman I admire, but also because it highlights the values that she stands for, sometimes in the face of real testing times.
BINDIYA ZAROOR CHAMKEGI
Dr. Mohan Doshi.
what u say is incorrect dr doshi..English had nothign to do with Hindu Muslim being different. Islam has no love for idol worshipers like Hindus leave alone being same. Its one thing to be romantic and wax eloquent of the good ole days, but reality is Islam is a nation in itself. while Christians, Jews hv little respect in Islam for being Ahle Kitab, Hindus hv none.
DeleteThe English had nothing to do with it. Hindus according to Islam are in Jahiliyat, darkness..being idolators they are reduced to paying jizya and are dhimmis, second class citizens protected only on the payment of tax with limited rights. So Dr Doshi u r wrong. Dont know whr u picked this romantic notion from. Pakistan was based on the philosophy of Two Nation Theory and Iqbals Pan Islamism. Hindus hv no place there. Pls get real!
DeleteCrush INDIA...
ReplyDeleteLove Marvi, very vocal about these right wingers. Put them in their place.
ReplyDelete-Raza
Dr Joshi, Thank you! Unfortunately, so far, yours is the only sane, civil and printable comment!
ReplyDeleteReally sad to hear that. I thought there would be a flood of comments praising Marviji. But then life is sometimes different from what we think. Please continue the good work on your blog highlighting these stories. The trickle of admirers will surely turn into a caravan.
ReplyDeletedr doshi while u mean well u r totally off target. English had nothing to do with Hindu/Muslim being different, dont know where u picked it up from. Maybe u havnt heard of Two Nation Theory, or read Iqbal where he invokes Muslims to be like Mahmud of Ghazni and Aurangzeb - and u most definitely do not have knowledge of Islam. Hindus are in Jahiliyat or darkness and being idolators have no acceptance in Islam at all. Indeed the Jews and Xians being of the 'Book' hv some concessions but Hindus definitely no. So Dr Doshi, sir, u r wrong.
DeleteWell done to Marvi! I admire her for her guts and the ability to call a spade a spade... its people like her that will slowly change our country's mindset... for everyone that doesn't agree with her there are just as many who do!
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Most of these who don't agree are 20-something presenting someone else's ideas as their own since they are incapable of any rational thinking (yet). If given an environment of sanity and rational discourse, more than half of these people would side with common sense and reality. That's just human psyche as chaos can only lead to more chaos. Even the ugliest of commentators among this lot are mostly different people with thoughts and action that don't represent their online anonymous profile when you meet them in person.
ReplyDeleteOnly education and economic opportunities can tackle their paranoia and fear that India and US are hell bent on destroying Pakistan and anyone who slightly favors them is taking their side. Our army propagated this paranoia to tackle with their own failures (based on some real facts might I add). But like France and england, there will be a day when these things would become issues of the past. Till then, I sincerely hope the sanity prevails.
-Raza
Raza, thank you for this insightful comment.
ReplyDelete@ Raza- It is disturbing to hear that those people are actually 20 somethings.. Had they been of Zaid Hamid's generation, it would have at least been something we could have ignored and lived with..
ReplyDeleteKudos to Marvi for standing up for what's right. I do have something to say about the pakistani hindus being referred to as "hindus." I'm sure you're aware of Justice Bhagwan Das, former Chief Justice of Paksitan and currently the Chairman of Federal Public Service Commission. Tej Pal Mohan, Arjun Wadia, Bheem Charan of Rani Daas Jewelers in Haiderabad, Sindh and many others are but a few names among a strong, growing and wealthy community of Hindus in Pakistani nation. Sure, there are those within the mainstream muslim community who do bear hatred within their hearts towards Indians in general and Hindus in particular. But their likes exist with equal and often, exceeding frequency within India as well. I remember a scene from the many graphic and horrible images that came out of the Gujrat riots of 2002 in which Gujarati muslims were declared to be pakistani and were demanded to exit Bharat. My point is, such hatred which is based on pure ignorance and political motivations, exists regardless of borders. To determine the character of one society based on such things is to pass an unfair judgment.
ReplyDeleteSalman, thanks for reading. Also, Gujarat is not India! :)
ReplyDelete:) I'm aware that its not a representative of India's entirety, just as those mentioned in the post aren't Pakistan, in their hatred and ignorance. Lets hope that both are able to trade their individual drawbacks with awareness and open mindedness, InshAllah. With the work you guys are doing through this blog, the chances of that happening increase dramatically. So keep up the good work! :)
ReplyDeleteSalman, thank you again! My point is in New Delhi, the capital of India, nobody has ever called me a Pakistani! And here, in the middle of Pakistan's capital my well-to-do Hindu neighbours get called Indians by supposedly educated, well-to-do and modern people :)
ReplyDeleteI apologize on the behalf of those people, for again, they do fall into the category of those who dont know better. You have to understand that Pakistan is NOT yet the "Secular" country that its founding father once envisioned. We're primarily a state, and the only other one in the world, which was solely conceived under the notion of establishing a homeland for Muslims mainly. After decades of islamisation of both this land's laws and culture in the name of political and economic gain, it is no wonder that a Pakistani is naturally assumed to be a Muslim. A non Muslim in Pakistan, by that virtue, is "assumed" (however wrongfully or naively so) to be an outsider. In this case, the term Indian is the direct translation of the word Hindu, which basically means a native of Hindustan. That native could be any of the wide range of India's brilliantly diverse population. We are yet to realize that Pakistan was not just created to be a fortress of puritanical Muslim beliefs, but should be a refuge and a welcoming land towards all those that are pure of heart, pure of intentions and pure of deeds, regardless of their faith and creed. I'm sure we'd get there some day, God Willing, however difficult a challenge it may seem to be.
ReplyDeleteOn a personal as well as societal level, I've always had great respect and admiration towards Pakistan's religious and ethnic minorities. Their adherence to any faith is at best, an element of diversity which adds to the spectrum of this land's colorful people. They deserve all the respect, recognition, equality and fair share within this homeland of theirs and ours. We have, sadly and regretfully, been grossly unfair and unjust to our fellow Pakistanis, especially those from religious and sectarian minorities. We have persecuted and turned a blind eye towards the plight of Christians, Hindus, the people of Kailash, even Shias and Ahmedis at a governmental as well as societal level. Such injustice, however, remains in a stark contradiction with Islam's teachings as well as this nations constitutional ideals. With our nations up coming Marvis and Jinnahs, there is plenty of hope for the removal of orthodox elements from this society.
Well said Salman! Pakistan can surely do with more Marvis, Sadafs and, also, Salmans :)
ReplyDeleteFirst, I admire Marvi and I have a huge issue with fundamentalist maniacs in general. However, I respectfully want to point something out - First, PLENTY of Pakistanis (especially the migrants from UP and Deccan) wear Saris, in public AND wear bindis.
ReplyDeleteSecond, please dont go making statements of "Pakistan India were the same before British". This is denying history and culture of a people in the opposite extreme (the other being the Aryan-Arab Mullahs in Pakistan). We have all the respect for our Eastern neighbor, but we are not Indians, just as despite being a Farsiwan, I am not Iranian. I am Pakistani. Like 160 million others. THATS our identity. This denial of a separate identity for Pakistanis (by both Indians and some Pakistanis) is what has caused a lot of hatred over the years (also provincialism in Pakistan). People CAN be friends even when they are "not the same".
Maria, I have heard that some women still step out in a sari in Karachi, a city I haven't been to yet. But bindis I am not sure about :) In Marvi's context the issue is not about sari-bindi -- its about holding forth. Also, I agree that we can be friends even if we are not the same. However, the funny thing is that I have to keep reminding myself that I am NOT the same.
ReplyDeleteActually, I was born and grew up mostly in KPK and Lahore. Women from communities who identify themselves as Urdu speaking STILL wear Saris on a regular basis. Festivals/functions in various colleges and universities in many cities often have 'dress codes' or 'themes' which are based on Sari (or other foreign dresses/eras as well). Pakistanis are not exactly 'anti-sari', it just isnt the predominant culture.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, bindi is not the predominant culture but MANY women use it. They are from specific ethnic groups or grew up around those ethnic groups, but they can be seen sporting bindis ESPECIALLY when dressing up on eids or weddings and so on.
Please do not make it sound as if the real issue is or if Pakistanis as a society are 'anti-bindi or anti-sari'. It is a cultural thing which is alien to us. I am not sure where you are based, but you really need to venture into the rest of Pakistan :)
(and anyone who calls someone a hindu because of bindi or sari is also an idiot personified! but not a general representative of Pakistan)
Maria, thank you again. I am in Islamabad and unfortunately none of us Indians are allowed to SEE Pakistan, much as we would love to!
ReplyDeleteLike I said in my earlier comment, the issue is most definitely not about sari-bindi. Sari-bindi came up because Zaid Hamid called Marvi a "bindi wali Hindu" :)
Zaid Hamid himself has a much more popular name for himself, to which we all should refer officially: Laal Topi wala Bandar!
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