Proud of Hindu Rashtra, he knows all the phrases of Quran and Purans

By Archana Sharma Jaipur, Oct 19 : Born and brought up at Rajasthan’s Pidawa (In Jhalawar district) in a family of Sufi followers, Professor Azhar Hashmi recently retired as assistant professor from Vikram University in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh.
His father, despite being Muslim, read the Quran and Purans together and chanted vedic hymns and yagna prayers. He revered Lord Rama for he, according to him, was a man of words and wisdom (being Maryada purushottam).
Professor Hashmi, 70, learnt the basic lessons of respecting all religions and faith from his father. He knows all verses of Gita and Ramayana and hence is being invited to different functions of Hindus as a chief guest.
He wrote a poem, “Woh mujhko Ram wala Hindustan chahiye’ during the Emergency in India which became a voice of central India in mid-80s and 90s.
His poem ‘Betiyaan paawan duayen hain, betiyaan shubhkaamnayen hain (Daughters are holy blessings)’ is being taught in class X of MP Education Board. In fact, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been quoting the lines of these poems many times during the start of the beti bachao campaign in MP.
“The lines in my poem brought in all religions quoting ‘Betiyaan Jeenat Hadison ki, Betiyaan Jaatak Kathayen Hain, Betiyaan Guru Granth ki Vaani, Betiyaan Vedik Richaayen Hain.’ So there is an element of Muslim religion, Hindi religion, Sikh and a glimpse of Jainism too,” he says.