Since the time the political crisis in the Congress’ ruling state of Rajasthan has deepened, all eyes have been set on the party’s rebel leader Sachin Pilot. The young Turk, who had gone incommunicado for the last two days, was today sacked of his duties by the Congress party. Meanwhile, in the midst of all this, Sachin Pilot’s wife Sara Pilot also managed to garner some attention after it was reported that Sara attacked the state CM on Twitter.
Though later it was learnt that the news agency mistook a fake account to be a real account of Sara Pilot, the news surely made her a subject to a flurry of questions, making it difficult for her to escape the wrath of social media.
For the uninitiated, Sara Pilot, the daughter of the former CM of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah married Sachin Pilot in 2004. As history has it, marrying outside one’s community has never been easy for Muslim girls in India. Such was the case for Sarah Pilot. While Sachin belongs to a Rajasthani Gujjar family, Sara is a Kashmiri Muslim. Though it sorted itself out in due time, Sachin Pilot and Sara Abdullah had a turbulent experience when they first decided to get married.
Only Muslim men can marry outside their religion: Abdullahs on Sara marrying Sachin Pilot
Sara’s father Farooq Abdullah, brother Omar Abdullah and the rest of the clan boycotted their private Delhi wedding in 2004, because of inter-religious politics. Incidentally, Omar Abdullah himself married a Sikh girl; but objected to his sister marrying a Hindu boy.
The duo had met each other while pursuing higher education at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. After dating each other, the two decided to tie a knot in 2004 despite constant objections from Sara’s side of family.
For the Abdullahs, who are passing through a difficult phase after their National Conference lost in the state assembly elections, it was likely that the wedding would have kicked up a furore in Jammu and Kashmir. Concerned with the possibility of facing the wrath of the community on the issue of a Muslim girl marrying a Hindu boy, Sara’s family opposed their marriage. Abdullah’s party members issued a statement stating that “only Muslim men can marry outside their religion but a Muslim girl can only marry a Muslim.”
It was reported how a campaign on Sara marrying a ‘kafir’ begun in the Kashmir valley. There were speculations then that the family had disowned their daughter for being hellbent on marrying a Hindu boy. No member of either family had come forward to speak to media persons then.
Sara Pilot had once opened up the rough times on Simi Gariwal’s chat show. “I was a wreck half the time and Sachin had to pick up the pieces,” Sara confessed. On being asked as to how the Abdullahs were ultimately convinced, Sachin Pilot said simply: “That we were happy together.” Sachin and Sara who are now married for almost 16 years, have two sons, Aaran and Vehaan.
