In the realm of epic baby names, Bollywood stars Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan seem to have won the Internet on this.
Yesterday, the couple welcomed their first baby together, a boy, and, of course, announced his arrival on social media. Saif has two other children, Sara, 23, and Ibrahim, 15, from his first marriage.
Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi was born on Tuesday morning at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai.
The issue with his name is, as The Washington Post pointed out, “‘Taimur’ is a name many Indians may recognise from their school history textbooks. Taimur the Lame, often known as Timur or Tamerlane, was a brutal Mongol invader who conquered many parts of Persia and central Asia. He called himself the “sword of Islam” and used religious symbols for his conquest.”
The Post added: “Taimur slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Indians on his way to capture Delhi in the 14th century. In Indian history, his name is synonymous with massacres.”
India Today gave a run down on all-you-need-to-know about Amir Taimur Sultan Taimur Sultan Bahadshah, the full name of this conqueror.
Firstly, “Taimur or Timur was a Turko-Mongol conquerer who brought most of the Muslim-ruled parts of Central Asia and India under his control in the 14th century.”
Timur also means iron making some fans defend this against the outrage on Twitter.
India Today’s list also included a saying on Taimur’s tomb: “‘When I rise from the dead, the world shall tremble’ inscribed on it and that his coffin read: “Whoever opens my tomb shall unleash an invader more terrible than I”.’
Apparently, “Taimur’s army killed at least 17 million people,” and “since he was not a descendent of Genghis Khan, Taimur could never become the Mongol emperor. And he couldn’t get acceptance as a Muslim because he was not a descendent of Muhammad,” said the list in India Today.
Lastly, “when he turned his focus to then India, Taimur slaughtered people saying it is a holy war against the Hindu religion,” the list pointed out.
Hence, the eruption of anger and mockery on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Bollywood celebrities have been wishing the couple their congratulations.
In a statement on Instagram by kareenakapoorteam, the couple said: “We are very pleased to share with you all the wonderful news about the birth of our son : Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi, on the 20th of December 2016. We would like to thank the media for the understanding and support they have given us over the last 9 months, and of course especially our fans and well wishers for their continued affection. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all…With love, Saif and Kareena.”
And in keeping with the 2016 theme of fake news, a photo of Kareena and her newborn circulating online has been highlighted to be a doctored one.
spanaech@sph.com.sg
