A Hindu-Muslim love story

So hateful and bloody was the aftermath of the 1947 partitioning of India by Britain into India and Pakistan that any subsequent event which shows love between Hindus and Muslims will surely bring hope and relief. After all, the “bloody massacre” on both sides left an estimated one million killed, over 75,000 women kidnapped and raped and 15 million displaced. Thousands of others died of starvation and fatigue during this unexpected two-way march. India’s population then was 340 million.

Before this horror happened, about 143,000 indentured Indians arrived in Trinidad (1845-1917). Made up of an estimated 85 per cent Hindus and 15 per cent Muslims, they lived peacefully here with each other, something also to celebrate at Indian Arrival Day.

There is still sporadic fighting between Hindus and Muslims, especially within the Jammu-Kashmir region. However, with this and the 1947 debacle, any event which shows love between Hindus and Muslims will be like a candle in the dark, helping to show a better way.

Such love was seen between a Hindu man in India and a six-year old Muslim girl who accidentally found herself in India, having lost her way from Sultanpur, Pakistan. Her mother was left shocked and grieving for her mute daughter.

Carrying her on his back, fighting one obstacle after another and beaten by police, he struggled to take her to Pakistan. This was in the highly-rated and profitable 2015 Indian movie Bajrangi Baijaan, starring Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor. It started when mute six-year old Shahida got lost while playing.

Since she couldn’t speak, the villagers could not find her in the dark until they saw her hanging on a branch down a steep cliff. The mother decided to offer special prayers to cure her daughter’s speaking and hearing challenge. The father had to sell off his sheep to buy train tickets to travel to the mosque in Delhi.

During the night, as the train stopped along the way for repairs, Shahida’s mother and other passengers fell asleep. Through the train’s window, she saw a lost sheep. Feeling sorry, she got off and picked up the sheep to take it to its nearby mother.

Unable to hear the train moving off, she was left behind. The mother looked for her in vain. Shahida mistakenly got on to a cargo train going in the opposite direction. She landed in Haryana, India.

There was a big festival there for the Hindu deity, Hanuman. The street was crowded with decorated worshippers and colourful parades. Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi (Salman Khan), a devotee of Hanuman, was a leader. Shahida stared at him.

As he was eating, the hungry Shahida kept staring at him. He offered her milk. Later, realising she was not a vegetarian, he bought chicken for her. He did not yet know she was a mute, lost Muslim child. He calmly left to continue in the parade. She left the chicken and held on to his hand, leaving him to wonder.

Realising the girl was lost, mute and helpless, Pawan Kumar took her where he was staying. That is, at a strict Hindu home of his father’s friend and where the pretty Rasika (Kareena Kapoor) also lived.

He called Shahida “Munni.” She slipped away once to pray in a mosque. But it was during a Pakistan vs India cricket match that everyone really discovered she was Muslim. She cheered the Pakistani players, while everyone else in the house cheered the Indians.

Pawan also knew she wanted to return to her homeland. That wasn’t easy. Neither he nor she had passport or visa. With the help of smugglers, he crossed the border, but when caught he confessed. His vows to Hanuman included no lying at all. Pakistanis saw him as an “Indian spy.”

He was chased, beaten and jailed but never let her go far from him. What really proved him as an innocent, kind-hearted Hindu man was reporter Chand Nawab (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who, after monumental obstacles, sent the recorded truth via YouTube, capturing widespread support.

When the border gates were opening for Pawan Kumar to return to India, among the large crowd of Hindus and Muslims praising him were Shahida and her parents. As he crossed, straining to speak for the first time, she shouted his name repeatedly – “Pawan, Pawan, Pawan.”