The padma shri recipient Brahm Nath Datta 'Qasir' was a prominent merchant and a well-known Urdu-Persian poet from a distinguished amritsar family. What does the name mean? Indeed, when you read the name, you must have wondered. Those who enjoy poetry and who, like poets themselves, experiment with words, twisting and tweaking them into oxymorons, should not miss it. What makes his name so unique? This is due to their close ties to the "taziya procession in the city of Amritsar" and the fact that they are all descended from Hussaini Brahmins, also referred to as the Dutt/Datt/Datta Bhramins, according to his granddaughter Nonica Datta. (A taziya is a shrine or replica of the tomb of Husain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, that is carried in processions during the Shi'ite festival of Muharram.)
"The community of Hussaini Brahmins...they are Hindus but also have faith in Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad," says journalist Syed ali Mujtaba, who resides in Chennai. In the pooja section of their homes, this group of Hussaini Brahmins maintains 'alam', the standard inside the symbol of Imam Hussain, in addition to paying respect to Hindu idols and pictures. It seems unreal, doesn't it? However, they are real.
 
Who are these Hussaini Brahmins?
The punjab region is home to the Mohyal Brahmin population, which Mujtaba describes as consisting of seven distinct cub-clans: Bali, Bhimwal, Chhibber, Dutt, Lau, Mohan, and Vaid. It is reported that the Datt clan participated in the Battle of Karbala on Imam Hussain's side. In history of the Muhiyals: The militant Brahmin clan of India, T.P. Russell Stracey also references a song that poetically describes the Dutts' stay in Arabia and their eventual involvement in the fight of Karbala.
What is the Battle of Karbala?
In the year 680, the army of Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Husayn ibn Ali, engaged in combat with the army of Yazid I, the second Umayyad caliph, in Karbala.
According to popular mythology, the fight was fought by Rahab Singh Datt, the chief of the Datt clan, and a small group of Baghdad-based career troops. The location where he resided is even referred to in the mythology as Dair-al-Hindiya, which roughly translates to "The indian Quarter."
A tiny sub-sect of Hussaini Brahmins who revered Imam Hussain and islam emerged as a result of the Moyhal community's adoption of non-Indic tradition as a result of their engagement in the conflict. Actually, a large number of people continue to observe Muharram annually.
 
At the time of the Battle of Karbala, there were approximately 1,400 Brahmins in Baghdad, if reports are to be accepted. In actuality, some of the families can still trace their ancestry back to the fight. These families are currently residing in Kabul, Afghanistan; Sindh and Lahore, Pakistan; Pune, Delhi, Chandigarh, amritsar, and Jammu, India.
 
A sizable population of Hussaini Brahmins lived in Lahore before India's partition. A tiny group of people in Ajmer today identify as Hussaini Brahmins. Furthermore, a group of Bhumihar Brahmins in the muzaffarpur area of bihar may trace their ancestry back to Hussaini Brahmins. Additionally, Mujtaba, which alludes to Hussaini Brahmins, is mentioned in a well-known Urdu/Hindi phrase that roughly translates as: Well Datt Sultan, declaring Hindu dharma and following Muslim practice, Half Hindu and Half Muslim (Wah Datt Sultan, Hindu ka dharm, Musalman ka Iman, Adha Hindu adha Musalman).