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In Sopore, Pulwama or Baramulla in Kashmir, there was no person called ‘Ertugrul’ before. But many of the babies born in the Valley in the last two or three years have been named Ertugrul.
In the winter season, Ertugrul style hats are also seen in Kashmir. This type of dark wine-colored head and hair covered with ears or wool hat is very popular in Turkey, but has never been used in Kashmir.
And behind all these changes is an incredibly popular Turkish TV drama called ‘Dirilis: Ertugrul’.
The word Dirilis means rebirth, and Kashmir is now mesmerized by this tense drama about the history of Turkey before the establishment of the Ottoman Caliphate, especially the younger generation there.
The story is about the life of Othuz Turk, the leader of the Turks in the 13th century and the legendary hero of that country. This Ertugrul was the father of Osman, the founder of the Ottoman Caliphate.
After gaining immense popularity in many countries of the Muslim world, this Turkish epic drama has become very popular with Muslims in India, including Kashmir.
Many have watched this great 446-episode episode or episodes spanning five seasons in just a month and a half.
Research on the effects of Ertugrul in India
Two professors from the Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad, Shahid Mio from the Department of Sociology and Ikramul Haque from the Department of History, have studied in detail how Ertugrul became so popular in India.
Professor Shahid Mio said, “Everybody knows what the Internet is like in Kashmir. When I take classes online for Kashmiri students these days, they don’t hear me properly because of the bandwidth problem.”
“But those same students told me not to miss an episode of Ertugrul. With a weak network, a durable buffer, they stumbled across mobile phones to watch this Turkish drama.”
In fact, in October 2016, after Netflix Turkey started streaming this historical drama online, it received an immediate response in India.
In the words of Professor Ikramul Haque, “Muslims in India today are suffering from an identity crisis or an identity crisis, from which they can ‘relate’ to this foreign historical legend, and that is why Ertugrul has become so popular in this country. “
But at a time when diplomatic relations between India and Turkey are going through a very bad time, is it any secret that a Turkish TV drama has provoked such a response among Indian Muslims?
Ikramul Haque, one of the authors of the investigative report, said: “One of the factors is his tight story, his dramatic plot, his great acting, and his great special effects. It’s hard to let go once you see Ertugrul.”
“From a religious or cultural point of view, Indian Muslims can also love this Turkish story, feeling united.”
“But that does not mean that I am creating fascination with Turkish President Erdogan. In fact, I do not think it is ultimately a drama, it has nothing to do with any particular person or diplomacy.”
What is the Muslim world looking at Ertugrul?
Many Middle Eastern countries think that Turkey wants to use its “soft power” in diplomacy through this tele-drama.
The series has already been banned in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt amid controversy over what kind of political and social message Ertugrul is sending.
In February this year, Egypt’s Fatwa Supreme Council said in a statement that Turkey was trying to create its own “sphere of influence” in the Middle East through tele-drama.
However, Turkey’s close ally Pakistan but Ertugrul has become incredibly popular.
Pakistan’s state-run PTV, in collaboration with the series’ production company, has also launched a separate YouTube channel for Ertugrul, where all episodes of the drama can be seen in Urdu dubbing.
The number of subscribers of that YouTube channel is more than 6 lakh. Last June, the Turkish news agency TRT World reported that two statues of Ertugrul Gazi had been erected in Lahore, Pakistan.
However, the controversy over the Ertugrul series has not stopped within Turkey itself.
In that country, critics of “Dirilis: Ertugrul” believe that the tactical message of Muslim nationalism conveyed through the series is helping President Erdogan consolidate his power.
Even Mehmet Bojdag, the series writer and producer, is known to be very close to the President’s Justice and Development Party.
Erdogan himself has repeatedly praised the series publicly.
Sharing a Google Trends graph, he wrote: “Indians are now looking for more Ertugrul videos on YouTube than Shah Rukh Khan!”
Dr. Shahid Mio, however, is not that surprised by this statistic. He said: “The idea that came to us from talking to many viewers of this series is that this series shows them the dream of a way out of the kind of insecurity and helplessness that Muslims are experiencing in India right now.
“Also, the way Muslim characters are stereotyped as barbarian rulers or brutal murderers in Indian cinema, be it Sultan Alauddin Khilji or the Karim Lala mob, is a ‘refreshing’ change from there.”
“Although Muslim characters are unconsciously discovered in such a biased way that they can be portrayed in this way, they are probably more hooked on Ertugrul,” said Shahid Mio.
His co-researcher Professor Ikramul Haque added: “Most Muslims in rural India know, however, that they are not part of the upper caste of Muslim society. Stay in class.”
“At the same time, they know that their ancestors did not come from Afghanistan, Arabia or Turkey. They are the natives of India, who converted hundreds of years ago.”
“But right now, there is a growing tendency among Indian Muslims to openly declare their religious identity. Activists like Rana Ayub, Rana Safvi, who are by no means fanatics or extremists, are doing the exact same thing.”
“Even in a Turkish series by Gogras, I see a reflection of that trend,” said Ikramul Haque.
How do Hindus in India view Ertugrul?
According to two Hyderabad researchers, the Turkish series is no less popular with Hindus in India.
The experiences of Shahid Mio and Ikramul Haque say that many of their Hindu friends and acquaintances have seen the beginning and the end of ‘Dirilis: Ertugrul’.
Almost everyone has said that Turkey’s story is no big deal here – they couldn’t cut the series in the middle because of the drama, plot, or performance of Ertugrul.
However, the religious struggle between Indians and Pakistanis on social media around Ertugrul has not stopped.
India’s leading daily, The Times of India, recently reported on how Hindus in India, mainly Ertugrul, are involved in religious debates with Pakistani Muslims.
An Indian Hindutva portal called ‘Opindia’ recently wrote: “Indian Muslims are actually betraying the country by starting to look like Pakistanis!”
Oppindia said: “Through this, Indian Muslims are actually trying to deny their Hindu heritage and are trying to quell their identity crisis by looking at Turkey or the Arab world.”
Despite such accusations, Ertugrul’s attraction in India is becoming increasingly irresistible.
Not only among Muslims, but also among Hindus.
And no matter what Pakistanis say on social media, the Indian government has not banned the Turkish series in India, for whatever reason. BBC
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