Beyond the Headlines

‘Role Model: Inspiring Stories of Indian Muslim Achievers’ by the former vice president of the Jawaharlal Nehru Students’ Union (JNUSU) Shehla Rashid comes at a time when the Indian Muslim has been negatively portrayed as a non-entity in the eyes of a commoner.

The first book by Shehla, who has research interests in technology and politics, is divided into 16 chapters which inclusively talk about the achievements of Indian Muslims in varied fields ranging from science, entertainment, and sports.

‘Role Model: Inspiring Stories of Indian Muslim Achievers’ highlights the contributions of Indian Muslims to civic national life by presenting the life stories and work of achievers.

The personalities which Shehla sheds light on are Nigar Shaji, Programme Director of Low Earth Orbit Missions at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Project Director of the Aditya L-1 Solar Exploration Mission, globally renowned music composer and reticent genius A R Rahman, tennis ace Sania Mirza; Padma Shri awardee Dr Zahir Kazi, actor, producer, and author Huma Qureshi, military leader Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, former ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, Dr Ausaf Sayeed, former vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Prof Tariq Mansoor, former vice chancellor of National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Prof Faizan Mustafa, and the pioneer of dendritic cell immunotherapy in India, Dr Jamal Khan, among others.

“We have seen many negative media portrayals of Muslims, and this book attempts to humanise the discourse about Muslims by presenting inspiring life stories that everyone can relate to,” notes Shehla, a prominent youth figure in India.

The author emphasises that while people are somewhat aware of the contributions and sacrifices made by Indian Muslims during the freedom struggle, highlighting the work of notable Muslims in contemporary India was a long-overdue task. “This book is rare in that it provides detailed insight into their lives for the first time,” the author writes.

Interestingly, the foreword of the book is written by legendary film-writer Salim Khan. In his inspiring style, Khan, in the foreword, writes that the Indian Muslims must own their dreams and participate in the vision with vigour and optimism.

“Instead of unproductive fixations on our differences, we as Indians need to think about how to excel professionally and be kind to one another, for the sake of our motherland,” Khan writes in the foreword of the book.

Shehla, who is also a tech policy consultant, writes that the former President of India, the late Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, gave the country Vision 2020 for India and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has energised people again with the mission of building a Viksit Bharat by 2047.

The book is published by Penguin Publishing House and costs just INR 203 on Amazon.

The author has accepted that while the book contains the life stories of a select few achievers, it must be mentioned that there is a vast majority of Muslims, which silently makes its contributions to various professions – civil services, fashion design, customer support, film direction, medicine, philanthropy, and so on.

Shehla, who cares deeply about the condition of Indian Muslims, notes that there are millions of Muslims engaged in informal employment in both organised and unorganised sectors who power the Indian economy, making life in India incredibly convenient and increasingly making the country a preferred destination for tourism, business, and investment. “We should be equally proud of them. All of them, whether rich or poor, skilled or semi-skilled, are an essential component of Brand India, which is premised on the power of youth, skills, innovation, a positive outlook, a growth mindset, and hard work,” the author points out.

Shehla, who deeply cares about women’s rights, notes that the unfortunate use of the term puncturewallas (‘puncture mechanic’) on social media as an insult for poor, hardworking Muslims has permeated the discourse.

She says that it is these puncturewallas who ensure that there isn’t a stranded woman anywhere in the country without recourse to assistance.

“While it is surprising that no volume on the contributions of contemporary Muslim public figures exists, it is also unsurprising because it wouldn’t make sense for them to over-emphasise their identity for fear of being boxed as ‘Muslim’ professionals when they are otherwise universally celebrated,” Shehla writes in the book.

The book is a celebration of contributions of Indian Muslims to the country. The book brings spotlight on the people who have long remained in shadows. It is a story that shatters the stereotypes. The book celebrates Muslim achievers of the country, a community that otherwise remains in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.