Opinion With ‘Mera naam Mohammad Deepak hai bhai’, faith in the decency of Indians is restored
Deepak’s words come as a shot in the arm in a society that often seems to have been overtaken by hatred and intolerance. They remind us that this is the “real India”, where everyone has the right to live and breathe as they please, and name their shop whatever they fancy
A video of the confrontation went viral, thrusting Deepak into the limelight but also bringing unwanted attention (Special Arrangement) In the aftermath of the mosque shootings at Christchurch, New Zealand, as the entire island nation stood united to condemn the act of terror against its Muslim community, a few women stood out.
Evidently non-Muslim, they showed up at one of the targeted mosques wearing headscarves, a version of the hijab. When asked about their headgear, the women said, “We are wearing these so that if someone thinks of targeting the Muslims again, he won’t be able to make out any difference between them and us. Because really, in the end, there is no difference.”
It has been seven years, but these words, or something to that effect, have stayed with me. Such logical maturity, strength of character, sense of solidarity… is it even possible in our neck of the woods?
A few days ago, a video that emerged from a town some five hours away from the national Capital provided the answer. And along with it, lots of hope.
The story goes like this: Vakeel Ahmed, an elderly Muslim who runs a shop selling school uniforms in Uttarakhand’s Kotdwar, was confronted by a group of men on Republic Day. Their grudge was with the shop’s name: Baba Clothes Store. Baba is a ubiquitous term in the subcontinent. It is used to refer to revered mystics and spiritual figures, to address both children and elderly men, or simply as a term of endearment (Sanju Baba, as fans like to address actor Sanjay Dutt), or sometimes, of even mockery (Rahul Baba, as detractors like to label the Leader of Opposition).
This group of men, members of a vigilante group, directed Ahmed to change the name of the shop to reflect “apni pehchan”, his Muslim identity.
This is when a tall, burly man showed up and asked why the elderly man had to change his shop’s name when so many other establishments were thriving with the same affix. Someone from the group asked him his name. “Mera naam Mohammad Deepak hai, bhai.”
As the video went viral, the identity of “Mohammad Deepak” emerged. He is actually Deepak Kumar, a practising Hindu who liberally says “Jai Siya Ram” in his social media posts and has a poster of Lord Hanuman as a backdrop in the gym he runs. So, why Mohammad Deepak? “They asked me my name, and in anger, I said I was Mohammad Deepak. I intended to convey that I was an Indian and everyone was equal before the law,” he told The Indian Express.
A few days later, several men assembled at a park in the city and started sloganeering against Kumar, not sparing even his family. But Kumar says he does not regret his decision to stand by a helpless, old man. “I am not going back on my words because I have always stood up for the right thing,” he says.
Over the last few days, Kumar has become the toast of the media, giving numerous interviews and also — an insight into his beautiful mind. “Na main Hindu hun na Musalman hun, sabse pehle insaan hun (Neither am I a Hindu, nor a Muslim. I am a human being, first and foremost).” “Ye Hindustan hai. Hindustan mei sabko rehne ka adhikar hai (This is India, everyone has the right to live here).”
Deepak’s words come as a shot in the arm in a society that often seems to have been overtaken by hatred and intolerance. They remind us that this is the “real India”, where everyone has the right to live and breathe as they please, and name their shop whatever they fancy.
Deepak’s case may seem refreshing, but it is not the only such act of bravery to have come from the hill state in recent times.
Last April, as a rape case became a trigger to target Muslim-owned shops in Nainital, a young woman, Shaila Negi, confronted a mob all by herself. “Hindu aur Musalman kyun kar rahe hain aap log (Why are you making it a Hindu-Muslim issue?)” she commanded, forcing the frenzied mob to stop for a second and listen.
Unsurprisingly, she faced the kind of backlash reserved only for women: Comments on her characters, rape and acid attack threats. But Negi stood unfazed. “Koi baat nahi, rape me, do whatever you want to do… But is that why you took to the streets?”
As I watch yet another video of Kumar that shows up on my timeline, and go back to Negi’s footage from all those months ago, I am filled with warmth and a whole lot of pride.
There is no need any longer to look back wistfully at those women in New Zealand, wondering if any of us will ever show that kind of maturity and bravery. We, too, have heroes of our own who can say the right thing when needed, effectively and definitively. And they don’t always have to be atheist, educated-in-liberal-arts elite institutes in Delhi or Kolkata. They can be a god-fearing “gym bro” or a diminutive young woman from small towns in Uttarakhand who risks their own safety to stand up to injustice. It is people like them, and not the hate-mongers, who truly make the hill state “Dev Bhoomi”.
The writer is Assistant Editor, The Indian Express. deepika.singh@expressindia.com
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