In mid 1960s, a fortune-teller by the name of ‘Hussaini Birahmin’ (Brahmin/Pandit) was a frequent visitor to the lanes of Old Lucknow.His crumpled ‘dhoti’ and faded long shirt and Gandhi cap were adequately compensated with his wheatish but bright face, broad forehead and big eyes with deep poised look.An ‘angauchha’ (coarse handmade stole) which he always tightly wrapped around his neck was the hallmark of his persona.People used to call him a ‘nujumi’ (astrologer) whereas, he was a palm reader. ‘Nujumi’ is the one who can read stars/planets (‘Najm’) in Arabic.An elderly lady from a decent family who had fallen on bad days often sought remedy for her misfortunes in some miracle of fortune-tellers.To escape the mandatory afternoon nap during summer vacations, children found a good excuse in helping the woman in her session with that fortune-teller.At the end of the session, she would request the ‘nujumi’: “Bar-e-karam humko apne galey ke nishan ki ziyarat karwa dijiye (kindly let me have the blessed sight of that mark on your throat)”.The Nijumi would unwrap his stole and showed her a fine slit mark spread from one end to another end on his throat.Seeing that mark the lady would sob and rock on her stool, asking boons from Maula Hussain for the wellbeing of her family. After that the ‘nujumi’ would cover his neck again.The sacred mark which the ‘nujumi’ always kept covered was claimed to have been inherited from his ancestors. Despite her poor condition, the lady would pay the ‘nujumi’ beyond her means.The legend behind that slit mark was profoundly amazing. According to popular lore, when Imam Hussain raised ‘awaz-e-isteghaaza’ (distressed call for help) on ‘Ashura’ (10th Muharram) in Karbala, after all his 72 companions had been martyred in Battle of Karbala (680AD), a group of valiant Brahmins galloped to Karbala. But they reached there late.Seeing Hussain and his companions killed, those Brahmins slit their throats with their own swords out of frustration. Ever since their off springs were blessed with the slit mark as birth mark on their throats. That ‘nujumi’ was said to be a member of that Hussaini Pandit clan.This earliest memory of Hussaini Pandit was further hammered by famous film writer Agha Jani Kashmiri, a Lucknow native in Bollywood, when in his ‘Vividh Bharti’ broadcast ‘Jaimala’ he had narrated that film actor Sunil Dutt was a Hussaini Pandit.This was verified by Sunit Dutt’s daughter Priya Dutt in a TV interview. She confirmed that being Hussaini Pandits there were no celebration in Dutt family during the 10 days of ‘Muharram’.During the First Gulf War (1991), the word ‘Dutt’ became a key word for searching Hussaini Pandits. To cover the war, journalists from all over the world swarmed into Iraq.A story in a newspaper found a tribe in Basra city of Iraq by the name of ‘Zutt’ tribe. ‘Zutts’ were found to be a variant of Indian Panjabi surname ‘Dutt’. Their ancestors were said to have sided with Hazrat Ali in the battle of Siffin against Muavia. Hazrat Ali’s benevolent treatment to minorities, ‘ajams’ (non-Arabs) and Africans made them gather around him.Same people were said to be those who responded to the call of his son Imam Hussain in Karbala.The ‘vanshpurush’ (patriarch) of Hussaini Brahmin tribe was Rahab Dutt whose descendants are found across Punjab.General GD Bakshi, a known face on television and social media is a member of ‘Mohyal Brahmin (Dutt/Datt/Dutta) community. Gen Bakshi relates how amid fierce battle during Kargil war, he found a safe refuge in a Hussaini Imambara. Some years ago, many Hussani Brahmins were felicitated at a function in New Delhi.According to Mohyal oral history, a Mohyal Brahmin of the Dutt clan fought on behalf of Imam Hussian in the Battle of Karbala (680AD), more specifically to avenge the killing of Imam Hussain he stormed the city of Kufa — sacrificing his seven sons in the process.According to legend, Rahab Sidh Dutt (also mentioned as Rahib Sidh or Sidh Viyog Datt in some versions) was the leader of a small band of career-soldiers living near Baghdad or Basra around the time of the Battle of Karbala.The legend mentions the place where he stayed as ‘Dair-al-Hindiya’, meaning ‘The Indian Quarter’, which matches an Al-Hindiya in existence today.Families of Hussaini Pandits/Brahmins can still be found in parts of Iraq but most families of Hussaini Brahmins are now settled in India have surnames Dutt/Datt/Datta are found in Pune, Delhi, Chandigrah, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu region in India, and in Sindh, Chakwal and Lahore in Pakistan, Kabul and South Afghanistan. Many of them also observe ‘Muharram’ every year.Small ‘tazia’ procession of Hussaini Brahmins taken out on 10th Muharram every year from their imambara in city of Amritsar is a landmark of our composite ethos.Most prominent voice of Hussaini Brahmins in Lucknow is Sunita Jhingran who recites ‘nohas’ and ‘marsiyas’ in ‘Muharram majlis’.Abiding Bhakti tradition of India has integrated Imam Hussain as a cult figure symbolising undying spirit of withstanding oppression without surrendering to injustice.(Writer is an exponent of Oral History and Culture)
