Our present and who we are as a person, society, community and nation is the aggregation of our collective past, it is said and it is often virtually impossible to separate out each strand of influence that shape our thinking, attitudes, behavior and that which constitute our day to day life- things we take pride in, the food we eat, technological advances that give us our daily comforts and liberties granted to us that we take for granted. These are all the result of multifarious influences from the various strands of thought and ideology prevalent for millennia in the large geography we call the Indian sub continent.
In that context, The coffee book ‘ Indian Muslim’ attempts to slice away and isolate the various strands of Muslim influences that shape our thoughts and daily lives in the sub continent today. It’s been created by the Indo Islamic Heritage Center.
Each page of the 100 pages are a pictorial cum descriptive depiction of some of the key Muslims, the mosques, architectural structures of Muslim origin and food, art garments and jewelry influenced by Muslim culture in India.
Clearly this compilation seems wide ( it covers influences in north and south and east India, and over time ) but not necessarily deep. As in full details regarding each of the individuals or events depicted are at best cursory given the nature and format of the coffee book.
Yet. In the current times, this gives readers an aggregated look at the impact the great Muslim culture has had on India and the indelible positive impact it has left on the country and its fortunes and direction.
Featured in this book are great men like Amir Khusrau, Mirza Ghalib, Mir Muhammad Taqi ( Zikr-e-Mir) and Daagh Dehlvi who were instrumental in shaping the sweet language of Urdu – an Indian language that we listen to in our favorite Bollywood songs of the 70s or when we enjoy the unhinged passion in exhibition as we listen to a qawwal give expression to his love for the almighty. Or in the Sufi music sung in the sub continent.
Also featured are Muslim kings who ruled India and shaped its future like the reformist Sher Shah Suri, who standardized the silver coin to the weight of 178 gems of silver and named the currency as rupee based on the Sanskrit term for silver and Allama Fazl-e-haq khairabadi who was involved in 1857 war of independence against the British and said ( according to the book) to have drafted the first constitution of India based on the principles of democracy.
Featured with brevity, yet sufficient detail for amazement is the story of Muslim women like Begum Hazrat Mahal, who is said to be the wife of the Nawab of Awadh and whose kingdom was annexed by the British in 1856 she is said to have challenged the British in the 1857 revolt and famously appeared on the battlefield against the British, mounted on an elephant.
Also the inspiring story of Qudsia Begum, an 18 year old girl who became the ruler of Bhopal after the death of her husband. Her legacy runs deep in bhopal as she declared her 15 year old daughter Sikandar as her rightful heir. Gohar Mahal palace was built by her and still stands today as the testimony of the fusion of Hindu and Mughal Architecture
There is a riveting story of ‘Hakim Syed Mohammed Sharfuddin Quadri’ a famed unani practitioner and known to be prison mate of Mahatma Gandhi and was given the padmabhushan in 2007 for his contributions to Indian medicine.
This book delves into the old buildings and architectural structures of huge import in our history. It says the Cheraman Juma Masjid in Kerala was the first mosque in India and only the second in the world where juma ki namaz was started. There is also a 1400 year old mosque in Kerala – the Malik Dinar mosque- in memory of Malik Ibn Dinar who is said to have brought Islam to India. His grave is said to be in this mosque.
Besides people and architecture the book illustrates Muslim influence in jewelry, garments like Pashmina and illustrates the origin of words like Nihari ( food made of meat)
This book is a collective that must adorn every educated persons home as a reminder of the pluralistic and rich heritage of India that shape the lives of the people of India.
( Santosh Menon writes regularly on topics of interest related to India and Sri Lanka )
By Indo Islamic Heritage Center
