Who is a stereotypical Indian? Scratching your head on this one? We’re not surprised. The answer to this question is not simple. And that’s a good thing. India was created seventy years ago to allow all its citizens the freedom to practise their own religions and follow their own beliefs. The wonderful outcome of this is India is not defined by a single, rigid way of thinking or a narrow set of beliefs.
However, over the years, some have forgotten this ideal. Convenient and dangerously misleading stereotypes of people and communities have been created leading to rifts in society. Sometimes though, a story comes that subverts all stereotypes. Noorul Hasan’s story is one of those.
A Muslim resident of Lucknow, Noorul Hasan gave up a part of his house to help re-create a Hindu temple for his community. His story is being told by Benetton India as part of its #Unitedbyfaith campaign. This campaign celebrates the diversity of India with the message that though we may belong to different religions and have different beliefs, we are all united, as Indians, in our love and respect for each other. Benetton has, in the past, created many campaigns that have shown a mirror to society, and this one will be close to the hearts of everyone who wants to see India as an inclusive society.
As part of the campaign, the Benetton team went down to Lucknow to learn Noorul Hasan’s story. He spoke humbly about his endeavour and simply said, “So many people come here every day. When they find peace, I find my peace. I’ve done whatever I could do for the temple with all my heart. And I continue to do so.”
Watch his incredible story in this video.
Many strands come together to form the fabric of India. And Noorul Hasan is just one example of how these strands entwine with and strengthen each other. To come back to the question of who the stereotypical Indian is - there is no answer. But if there needs to be a stereotype, Noorul Hasan is the one we should all strive to create and emulate.
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