Muslim Family Shelters a Hindu Woman for 43 Years in MP’s Damoh

In MP’s Damoh, a Muslim family gave shelter to a Hindu woman for 43 years. Now, the village is sad to see her go.

Muslim family gives shelter to Hindu woman in MP

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Vivek Gupta
Video Producer: Srishti Tyagi

The visuals in the video above prove that there is no difference between Hindus and Muslims in India. People of both religions can live together harmoniously.
In Madhya Pradesh's Damoh, a Muslim family sheltered a Hindu woman for 43 years. And now, as she leaves, the entire village is sad to see her go.

A Maharashtrian woman, Panchubai aka 'Mausi', had been living in MP’s Kotatala village for over 40 years. She ended up in Damoh a long time ago. Israar Khan's father let her stay with them in the Muslim-dominated village.

A few days back, Panchubai's photos were circulated on social media. Her grandson Prithviraj Shinde found the pictures and went along with his wife to find his grandmother.

On noticing how emotional the residents of the village were to see Panchubai go, her grandson said it was difficult for him to ask her to return.

“I thank all the people of this village for helping my grandmother for 43 years. I am sad that I am taking her from this village but I am happy how they treated her like their own. I, too, want to take care of my grandmother.”  

Prithvi Kumar Shinde, Panchubai’s grandson

Israar Khan’s father had found Panchubai in a nearby forest. She had been stung by a honeybee. He took care of her and then the next generation of his family continued to do so.

“They have thanked us a lot but she should also get a chance to live with her family.”

Israar Khan

A local said the entire village calls Panchubai ‘mausi,’ and she has been living with them for the last 40 years. He said:

“I have known her since I was 8-9 year old. We played with her, she beat us too. We respect her.”

The fact that a Muslim family has sheltered a Hindu woman from Nagpur for the last 43 years is a learning lesson for the country where communal problems have largely been normalised.