In this UP village, Muslims use Brahmin surnames as a gesture to honour ancestry, promote harmony

Naushad Ahmad of this village in Kerakat tehsil drew attention when he mentioned his name as Naushad Ahmad Dubey on his daughter's wedding card.
Naushad Ahmad Dubey tending to cows (Photo | Special arrangement)
Naushad Ahmad Dubey tending to cows (Photo | Special arrangement)
Updated on
3 min read

LUCKNOW: Dehri, a small nondescript village around 35-40 km from the Jaunpur district headquarters in eastern UP, is in the limelight for a rare phenomenon.

Dehri is predominantly a Muslim village with over 7000 Muslims and 5000 Hindus living together in perfect harmony for ages. Suddenly a new trend is emerging in the village. Around 70 Muslims of the village have added ‘Brahmin’ surnames to their names. However, they claim that they have not reconverted to Hinduism.

Naushad Ahmad of this village in Kerakat tehsil has drawn obvious attention when he mentioned his name as Naushad Ahmad Dubey on his daughter's wedding card.

In the same village lives Pandey ji or Irshad Ahmad Pandey who stays just two houses away from Naushad Ahmad Dubey.

Many others like Naushad and Irshad are following the same practice by adding the surnames Mishra, Pandey, Tiwari to their names.

“We started this practice around two years back when we came to know about our genuine ancestry. We got to know that we all were Hindus who got converted many generations ago,” says Naushad Ahmad with a saffron stole around his neck.

He adds that on tracing his roots, he learned that his forefathers especially Lal Bahadur Dubey had converted to Islam eight generations back and became Sheikh.

“As people used to address the senior members of my family as 'Panditji', I was curious about my ancestry and lineage. My great-grandfather told me that eight generations back, our ancestor Lal Bahadur Dubey of Rani ki Sarai had arrived in Dehri and purchased a 'Zamindari' from Hazari Singh. When he came here, he had already converted to Islam,” says Naushad mentioning that his quest to know the conditions under which Lal Bahadur embraced Islam is still on.

“After getting the information about my ancestry, I decided to put my original surname ‘Dubey’ with my name,” says Naushad who now has turned into a Gau Bhakt and Gau Sewak (cow caretaker). However, no one else in his family has added Dubey's surname.

Similarly, Ehtesham Ahmad of the same village claims that he also has Hindu lineage. “My ancestors were also Brahmins but I have not added their surname to my name yet,” he says, adding that many Muslim men have started using other Brahmin surnames and have started tending the cows. Dehri gram Pradhan (village head) Farhan says that he traced his ancestors four generations back and learned that they were Hindus.

Similarly, Abdullah Sheikh is now Abdullah Sheikh Dubey, Mohammad Gufran is now known as Thakur Gufran and those with Sayyad as surname are now Shandilya.

They all follow Islamic practices but go to the temple as well to pay obeisance to Hindu deities. They follow the holy Quran but also take part in aarti at the village temple.

However, many of their relatives have yet to be convinced about adding Hindu surnames to their names. Sheikh Mariam Siddiqui, a relative of Naushad Ahmad Dubey, feels that her name is her identity and there is no need to change it.

Naushad Ahmad Dubey feels others should also trace their roots and connect with them by adding their original surnames to their present names.

“These surnames like Sheikh, Pathan, Sayyad and Mirza are not our original surnames. These have been brought in by foreigners. We have not come from Afghanistan or Gulf. I cannot say under what conditions our ancestors had to convert to Islam but we can always use our original surnames to strike a harmonious chord with our Hindu brothers and live peacefully. This will also strengthen the nation,” says Israr Ahmad who also uses the surname Dubey.

When asked if he believed in Lord Ram, Naushad says he does, as Lord Ram is not only a Hindu deity but a symbol of India’s spiritual prosperity, a uniting factor.

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