Trends

Muslims girls at Call Centres wear hijabs, pray their namaz at their workplace and say that their offices are more secular than their homes, helping them imbibe values of self-reliance and tolerance.


It took a million telephone calls and then I finally managed to get an appointment for just half an hour and that too on the other end of Bangalore. Since I was quite passionate about this topic, I finally made it to their office. It was almost 11:30 p.m in the night. More then half the city was already asleep. And the other half, wide awake like me.


I reached their office on time. It was like any of those million-dollar firms: spic and span, and their cafeteria was buzzing with activity. It was break time at this Call Centre here in Bangalore. Dear reader let me introduce you to my four guests. Shenaz , Fatima , Ayesha and Bilkiz. As I waited for them in the cafeteria, I started to assume how they would look. I expected them to be these very Americanish Indian girls from the Call Centre world, dressed in skirts. When they walked in to greet me, I was taken in for a surprise. These were Indian girls who behaved Indian. Modestly dressed in a salwar kameez and with their Hijab in place, they added elegance to that place.


We sat down over some coffee, to discuss about their chosen career path at the Call Centre. All the four of them hail from lower middle-class backgrounds. At an age when their families were hunting for the right grooms for them, they have boldly shown interest in their career. Fatima and Bilkiz are from Bangalore, while Ayesha is from Hyderabad and Shenaz is from Delhi. “The four of us are like a family here and we wish to remain like this,” says Shenaz who asserts she has found a home away from home because of these girls. “But it was quite an exercise to convince my family that I would be working in Bangalore and that too in a Call Centre,” says Ayesha. “My father threw a fit at me and actually wanted to cross-check when someone told him that I was like a “call girl” on an American telephone line,” says Fatima. “Islam is never against women’s rights, but it is the general patriarchal structure in our society that tends to define the dos and don’ts of women,”says Bilkiz.


“We are all from more educated backgrounds and it is our duty to inform the older generation about the changing times, and also think more logically and rationally. If we don’t inform them, they tend to source other wrong routes and get carried away with the wrong information that they get”, says Fatima who had to face a lot of problems with her family members to convince them about the kind of work she does. “And how is the working atmosphere here?” I asked. “Well, we do our work well, reach our target before the deadline time and thoroughly enjoy our work,” says Shenaz. “We also get time to do our Namaz and everyone in the office knows this and respects our tradition without disturbing us,” says a contented Bilkiz. “Our offices are much more secular in nature than our homes. We celebrate all the festivals with equal amount of zeal. Our Hindu colleagues get us sweets on every festival, and last year during Ramadan, I made Double-ka-meetha and Sheer Kurma for the entire office and staff of over 200 people,” says Ayesha.


“We must learn from sharing and caring. That is what Islam teaches us. Blindly practising rituals does not make anyone religious. There is no point in doing the Namaz five times a day and being inhuman towards fellow human beings. The true essence of Islam lies in living and letting others live,” says Fatima.


There is nothing more empowering than education. And these girls, in spite of the million problems that they have faced, continue to stand as pillars of inspiration for many more like them. It is unfortunate that in today’s world, people aggressively endorse many misconceptions about Islam. In reality, Islam advocates women’s rights very strongly. Through my article, I make a strong appeal to all those parents who want their daughters to have a good and secure future that they must endorse a practical and a more liberal rational implication of the understanding of this glorious faith.


(The writer can be reached at vijaysai79@gmail.com)