Top Bollywood actors face social media storm for giving baby daughter Arabic name

Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh have been subjected to hostile criticism on social media over their choice of name for their baby daughter.

Padukone gave birth to a daughter in September and the couple shared a picture of her online on the festival of Diwali, considered an auspicious day by the Hindus.

The post on Instagram featured just the baby’s feet. The caption read: “Dua Padukone Singh. ‘Dua’: meaning a Prayer. Because She is the Answer to our Prayers. Our hearts are filled with Love & Gratitude.”

The word “dua” comes from Arabic and means “prayer” or “supplication”. In Islam, dua refers to a prayer of invocation to seek help from God and is treated as a form of worship.

Shortly after the post went online, the couple were inundated with criticism of the name, with many questioning the use of a word associated with Islam as opposed to one associated with Hinduism.

“Why not prarthana and why duaa??? Why not hindi but urdu??” commented one user. Another said: “Just for your information (Prathna Means "Prayer") I hope you might know these words also, as you are a Sanatani. By name, but as personal you are ????”

Sanatani is a follower of Sanātana Dharma, an alternative term used by some Hindus to refer to the Hindu religion.

The word “prathna” or “prarthana” comes from the Sanskrit language and also means “prayer” or “request.” In the Hindu religion, prarthana is part of the overall process of worship.

Padukone and Singh are Hindu. Singh said in a past interview that his paternal grandfather was Sikh. The couple had a traditional Hindu ceremony as well as a Sikh ceremony called Anand Karaj when they got married as a nod to their roots.

Several commentators, though, questioned the “absurd” reaction to the naming of their child. “Why are you pressed over a child’s name that isn’t yours???” one asked.

Earlier this year, data from US-based research group India Hate Lab showed that India experienced an average of two instances of anti-Muslim hate speech every day in 2023. The report also showed that there had been a “rapid growth of new Hindu nationalist groups and actors engaging in hate speech” in the country.

In 2023, India Hate Lab documented 668 hate speech events targeting Muslims. It recorded 255 of these events in the first half of 2023 and 413 in the second half, marking a 62 per cent increase.

The group said it used the UN definition of hate speech – prejudiced or discriminatory language towards an individual or group based on attributes including religion, ethnicity, nationality, race or gender.

Out of the 668 hate speech events, 498, or 75 per cent, took place in states and federal territories ruled by prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, the group said.

Reports by Amnesty International showed that Indian authorities targeted the homes, businesses and places of worship of Muslims using bulldozers, adding that this came at a time when the Modi administration stood accused of trampling over the human rights of minorities and weaponising religious discrimination.