She is smart, well-dressed and articulate. The pretty college girl rushes to classes almost on time and leaves as soon as the last bell rings. In between, she hangs out with friends, plays pranks, teases her college mates and sometimes, teachers. But outside the college gates, she is a fighter who does menial jobs to make ends meet, to feed her family, holding her head high throughout, assuring herself that whatever be the struggle, she will conquer her dream. When Meera Jasmine played Priyamvada, an extrovert in her college and a fighter who struggles 24x7 for her family in the 2003 movie Kasthooriman, people saw it as an inspiring tale of an admirable girl.
Fast forward to 2018, in the busy Thammanam Junction in Kochi, hardly-out-of-teens Hanan Hamid was seen selling fish in her college uniform. When a reporter talked to her to tell the world the story of her life, never would she have imagined that her life story was going to be viral, for all wrong reasons! Hours after Hanan’s story – of a shattered childhood, broken family, struggling with studies and her biggest dream to fly to Mauritius to pursue MBBS course – came to print with the photograph of a cheerful girl in her college uniform selling fish, she shot to fame. The youngster, who juggles the hats of a fish vendor, jewellery maker, accountant, call centre executive, cook and junior artiste in films, without bunking classes at Al Azar College, Thodupuzha, where she is pursuing BSc Chemistry, is very inspiring. Links were shared, ‘liked’ and offers came pouring in – director Arun Gopy offered her a role in his upcoming film Irupathiyonnam Noottaandu starring Pranav Mohanlal. It was all celebrations until Hanan appeared on TV. A smart, talkative girl, who doesn’t ‘appear’ impoverished, was hard to digest for many! Theories started floating. Everything from her haircut to her gold ring to her hijab-less appearance to the gloves she wore while selling fish was scrutinised.
Cyber Holmes rummaged through Hanan’s social media accounts to dig up her stylish photos, selfies with actors and even Dubsmash videos and came up with the verdict – hers was a sham story! What followed was a vicious attack on the 19-year-old, whose ‘melodramatic’ act was purported to be a movie’s promotional tactics. People found it hard to believe that a fighter could be smart, good looking and vocal. Many even took bytes from people in the market to ‘expose’ the girl who appeared out of nowhere three days ago. The judgment was immediate and travelled faster than an epidemic – that Hanan’s was a ‘fake story’. Finally, her friends, teachers and Hanan herself had to go live on Facebook to ‘prove’ to the world that her story is genuine. A teary-eyed Hanan had to recount her battles, her odd jobs, the early morning cycle rides with fish loads, her rush to board the 7.51-am bus to college, to convince the ‘whistleblowers’.
“Since Class VII, I have been engaged in jewellery-making, taking tuitions, posing as flower girl for events, dubbing, acting in drama and anchoring. I have also been writing poems and have got featured in radio programmes. All these have been my income,” she explains. She ventured into fish selling just a month ago with Babu, whom she befriended at Aluva Fest. “We used to sell fish at the red tent near a bajji shop in the Kalamassery–Pipeline area. I moved to Thammanam three days ago when another person there misbehaved with me. You can ask Babu chettan for clarification,” she says, adding that she used to accompany Babu to get the fish load and then board the 7.51-am bus to Thodupuzha from Kakkanad. “When my college was closed for a week due to incessant rains, I found a new place to start my venture at the behest of a vegetable vendor in Vytilla. I sold fish till the third day – on Wednesday, till the whole media attention happened,” she adds.
Having worked in call centres in back-to-back shifts, too much exposure had affected her hearing ability. The media exposure and crowd was too much for her to handle and she was hospitalised on Wednesday. By the break of dawn, everything had changed. From an inspiring angel, Hanan had become a ‘liar and a fake’. “I came to know about all this only in the morning,” she breaks down, adding, “The photos you see on Facebook are the ones taken during the shooting of songs and films. Like others my age, I too have done Dubsmash. And the gold ring you mention was bought a few days ago using my hard-earned money. I too can have wishes like all, right?” she asks. Her question hurts. Why are people so sceptical? “That’s because we are slowly turning into culturally controversial creatures,” observes Dr C.J. John, chief psychiatrist, Medical Trust Hospital, Kochi.
“It’s sort of cyber sadism. This is a feel-good life story and I am saddened by the controversy. I’m very concerned by the way people are trying to find fault and looking for hidden agenda in everything. We are moving in a very dangerous direction. It’s always good to look at things from a different perspective, but this is not constructive criticism. They have just killed the spirit of the girl and her story. They don’t even spare a thought for the girl, who might get affected. Hanan is a beacon of inspiration for the younger generation. Instead of spewing theories, they could tell their kids to learn from her.” He also sees jealousy and gender angles in the reactions. “A smart young girl getting into the limelight is too much for them. Had it been a boy, I don’t think the attack would have been so vile,” he feels. The attacks might be horrendous, but Hanan can’t be cowed down. Come what may, the go-getter is determined. “I will continue to sell fish,” she asserts, with confidence and élan.
