Turkish drama series, 'Diriliş Ertuğrul has stirred havoc in the digital world finding a vast fan following worldwide, including the Kashmir Valley. We have also witnessed how the series left the world awestruck sparking countless internet memes and tweets of netizens going gaga over the characters, mainly Ertuğrul and Halime.
But here is an incident from the Valley that will leave you fascinated. As the show has gained immense popularity in Kashmir, the parents in the valley are now naming their newborns after the lead character, Ertuğrul
A picture of an infant's hospital OPD card, which was circulated on social media, revealed that the boy who was born in Jammu and Kashmir's GB Pant Cantonment General Hospital, Pulwama was named "Ertugal", after the lead character of the show.
Diriliş Ertuğrul" (Resurrection Ertuğrul) is based on the life of the 13th-century Muslim Oghuz Turk leader, who was the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. The series depicts the prehistory of the Ottoman Empire.
Watching Ertuğrul despite erratic internet speed in the Valley
Amid slow-speed internet, curfew and Covid-19 lockdown, the valley finds itself spellbound by the popular Turkish show, Ertuğrul'.
International Business Times, India interacted with a family, based out of Kashmir's Lal Bazaar, who spoke about their growing fondness to the show. Faizan Mir, 24, said, "We heard about this lastest show that talks about Islamic history so I and my friends managed to download it with the low internet speed. The show was so interesting, that we passed it to each other on pen drives."
"Not being to watch the show on Netflix due to the internet blackout. It is a struggle but I love how it throws light on the Ottoman Empire history. Very fascinating."
'We connect to the story'
Maimoona Akhtar, a housewife said, "The coronavirus lockdown and curfew are here to stay and I don't want my son to step out often. The only way we stayed indoors was because of Ertugrul. We connect to the story. As a family, we enjoy watching how things unfolded in history. Keeps my family connected."
According to Daily Sabah, a Turkish publication, "The TV series has been translated into more than 25 languages, including English, Urdu and Arabic. According to operation data in different languages in digital media, the TV series has achieved an audience of 2.9 million subscribers and 515 million views."
The series addresses Kayı Boyu (Kayı Tribe) and their struggle against the Knights Templar, the Byzantine Empire, the Mongols and the Isfendiyarids.
