Name’s sake

The eternal Shakespearean question — what’s in a name? — would elicit a response on the lines of ‘lots, actually’ from someone who shares my surname. Of late, I’ve had to field many a question from complete strangers. One particular acerbic soul asked me the other day, “So you are one of those who dragged actor Salman Khan to court over the black buck case?” People read the surname on my business card and make the one connection they can manage with ‘Vishnois/Bishnois’: those Rajasthanis who campaigned against the Bollywood superstar.

Having settled for generations now in the plains of Uttarakhand, with Rajasthani dialects long forgotten, for Vishnois like me the 29 rules we are to follow — as outlined by Guru Jambheshwar — are relegated somewhere to the back of our minds. While I can’t claim to know all of them, I do follow one basic tenet: vegetarianism and not harming animals in any way. I follow this rule, not because I was born with this surname, but because I feel strongly about the issue. Having said that, I also have to admit that I bear no hatred towards Salman Khan. In fact, I have been his fan for as long as I can remember and have seldom missed his movies even as they deteriorate with every release.

So while I watched Salman Khan go to Jodhpur jail, and people from my community hailing it as a great victory, I found I could not share their enthusiasm. Caught between how I ‘should’ respond as a Vishnoi and as a fan so in awe of the star, I was left with mixed feelings. In fact, I almost felt like boxing the ears of a fellow Vishnoi jumping for joy over the Salman conviction.

Salman Khan has spent nearly a week in prison and he had plenty of time to make peace with the ancient rules that gave me my surname, or so I figured. I still adore him despite his law-breaking habits and intentional or unintentional moves to hurt animals and the religious sensibilities of a community. But the question is, will he clench and unclench his fist in anger if I do meet up with him and introduce myself as a Vishnoi? A Vishnoi who remains a fan.