A Love Story of Chand Mohmmad and Fiza

By Syed Ali Mujtaba,

The story of Chand Mohmmad and Fiza that had hit the headlines recently undoubtedly has lent a romantic color to the otherwise dull Indian political scene. This however has also opened up a debate on complex human relationship that transcends into the domain of conversion and polygamy.

Whereas Muslim clerics have called the idea of converting to Islam to get married second time, "a deplorable act" the Hindutva brigade is maintaining a stoke silence in this case.

The main question that this case has thrown up is fundamentally two; one why Chander Mohan and Anuradha Bali have to become Chand Mohmmad and Fiza to legalize their love affair. Second, why can't they find the happiness within the boundaries of their own religion?

This also exposes the hypocrisy of a nation that preaches the Krishna, Radha and Mira type of relationship but when it comes to actual reality it disapproves such relationship leading to resort to fair and foul means.

In order to understand this human dilemma, one has to recall the story of Chander Mohan, the eldest son of former Haryana chief minister, Bhajan Lal.

Chander Mohan is a sitting four-time Congress legislator from the Kalka assembly seat in Punjab. He has two teenaged children from his first wife and one of his sons died last year after prolonged illness. He got to know a lady by the name of Anuradha Bali, a divorcee and former Assistant Advocate General in Punjab.

The duo after a courtship of about five years appeared at a TV station on December 7, 2009, to announce that they had converted to Islam and had subsequently got married according to Islamic law.

Chander Mohan said his new name is Chand Muhammad and Anuradha Bali said she has taken up the name Fiza, the title of a popular Hindi movie staring Karishma Kapoor.

"We are not teenagers to take an impulsive decision and we have made up our mind to convert to Islam and get married after a lot of thought," Chand Mohmmad reportedly said in a camera interview.

His father, former Haryana CM Bhajan Lal disowned his son for his second marriage saying it to be a "shameless act".

Subsequently, Chand Mohammad and Fiza have lost their high profile jobs apparently for their much hyped marriage. Chand lost his Deputy Chief Minister post for being absent and neglecting his work while Fiza was sacked form assistant attorney general post for the same reasons.

The family tiff between newly wed couple surfaced when Fiza accused her husband's brother and his first wife of abducting Chand since they had not approved their marriage. Fiza said the Bhajan Lal family was adopting double standards.

"When Kuldip Bishnoi (Chander Mohan's younger brother) was caught with a girl at a Delhi disco, no one disowned him. I can vouch that 95 percent of the people in Haryana politics have a double life. My only crime is I have come out and accepted it," Fiza reported to have said.

The missing husband was traced in New Delhi when he called up a TV channel to say he was safe. However, his prolonged his stay in the national capital that led to speculation that every thing is not well between love lorn couple.

This love story took new turn when Fiza tried to commit suicide consuming blood pressure tablets and in an unconscious state was rushed to a hospital. Later she rubbished reports about her suicide and even rejected of any rift with her husband.

The fate of this love story hangs in balance as now Chand Mohmmad is unable to makeup his mind to go back to his Fiza. He is reported to have said, he is missing his first wife and his children. This fairy tale is poised for a very interesting climax.

Meanwhile, Fiza has claimed that a very bad game has been played with her life and she has been betrayed in true love. "I don't know what my status is today. I don't even know if I am his wife or not. He has not spoken to me directly. I don't even know whether he is now Chander Mohan or Chand Mohammed."

Stating that she had not embraced Islam to get married, Fiza said, "I respect all religions but I will remain a Muslim now."

The story of Chand Mohmmad and Fiza should not be sarcastically castigated as a union for satisfying the baser instinct of mankind. It also should not be brushed under the carpet by moral policing on such cases.

As the Indian society is evolving from feudal to modern age, these are complex challenges thrown up in human relationship. It is time that the country should make the process of divorce much easier and simpler than what it is today.

At the moment it's completely impossible for a Hindus and Christians to get out of one relationship and enter into another. This has destroyed many homes and happiness is being sought in some other way. This case provides enough food for thought as to how to get round to this human problem.

This case has also brought out into open the blatant misuse of conversion for meeting selfish ends. Conversion to Islam is a long drawn out process that is purely based on the sound knowledge of the religion. The corner stone is the act of "Sahada." Any one who takes a short cut to this should not be encouraged for conversion.

There should be some designated authority who should issue certificate for those who have converted to other faith and it should again be made simpler and easier. Such formulation to some extent would mellow down the conversion debate.

The third issue this case has brought out is the practice of polygamy. In this age, there is no place for such feudal practice. Those who are practicing such archaic way of life should be given exemplary punished.

Well getting back to Chand Mohmmad and Fiza love story, every one wants this to end in Dil Wale Dulanhiya Le Gayne Gey style, but in case if that does not happen, one can only say, it's Raab De Merzi.

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Syed Ali Mjtaba is a working journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba@ yahoo.com