Jobless brothers offer to perform online ‘qurbani’

Jobless brothers offer to perform online ‘qurbani’

Mohammed Makhdum and Mohammed Saleem have offered to conduct the sacrifice on Bakri Eid with all approvals for those who cannot

 Jyoti Punwani

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27.07.2020

Forced to sit at home without earning anything since March, two brothers in Nallasopara have seized an opportunity presented by the lockdown – one that’s linked to their religious duty, too. With the state government’s insistence on online purchase of goats for Bakri Eid, Mohammed Makhdum and his brother are offering to conduct the entire sacrifice – from buying the goat to distributing the meat – for others who cannot, with all approvals done online.

“This is qurbani, part of our religion. The customer trusts me with performing his religious duty. Honesty and transparency have to be the basis of our dealings,” says Makhdum, a civil engineering graduate from Saboo Siddik College, who lost his job with Omkar Realtors when they faced financial ruin last year. Since then, the EMIs on his housing loan have been mounting, and banks are no longer willing to wait. Makhdum supports his wife and two school going children.

Makhdum’s younger brother, Mohammed Saleem, who lives with their parents, had just landed his first job as an architect when the lockdown began. His office has since been shut, and he has been unable to help his parents pay their electricity bill or rent.

The brothers’ offer, sent to a few acquaintances on WhatsApp, entails selecting a goat at the Nallasopara market, sending a video of it to the customer, and then finalising the price. If the customer approves, they will buy the goat and look after it till it is sacrificed, and then distribute the meat to the needy in Nallasopara. Charges for all this will be conveyed to the customer at the outset. All payments will be online, with the option of paying the goatseller directly.

If the customer is able to come to Nallasopara, the ‘qurbani’ will be performed in front of him, and he can take away the meat. If not, the customer can see the sacrifice being performed through a video call. The ‘qurbani’ will be done at the home of the eldest of the three brothers, where social distancing is possible. Employed in a co-operative bank in South Mumbai, he too has been grounded through the lockdown because of the lack of public transport.

As prices in Nallasopara are high – a goat sells for Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000; a butcher charges Rs 2,000 per goat – Makhdum has tied up with a friend who lives in a village near Patna where everything is cheaper. For those choosing to have the ‘qurbani’ done in Bihar, there’s an additional advantage, besides the price – the men who will cut and clean the animal are those rendered jobless by the lockdown. They have been training at butchers’ shops hoping to use their new skills for Bakri Eid.

“Who knows, if the response is enough, a few of these men may end up setting up their own meat shops there,’’ says Makhdum, who till three years back could afford to perform the Bakri Eid ‘qurbani’ for himself. He no longer can, but doing it for others would give him the same satisfaction.

“We are not wealthy, yet we can’t imagine standing in line for free rations or asking for charity,”’ says Makhdum. “This is an honourable way to earn enough at least to pay off our bills and EMIs. If we succeed, we can start home delivery of vegetables.”