In March, Shark Tank India judge, entrepreneur and Emcure Pharmaceuticals Executive Director Namita Thapar shared a video explaining the health benefits of namaz. The post sparked backlash online, and Namita has now addressed the criticism, revealing that she has been facing abuse for the past three weeks while also clarifying her stance.
Namita Thapar hits back at trolls abusing her for video on health benefits of Namaz
On Monday, Namita took to X and shared a video addressing the hate towards her Namaz video. She said, “Peeche teen hafte se mujhe log r***i bula rahe hain non stop aur meri darling mom ko bhi gande gande naam de rahe hain for what? For making a reel on health benefits of Namaz? I am a healthcare professional. Maine itne saare Hindu religions par reel banayi hai, unke health benefits par…har Yoga day pe asanas, specially Surya Namaskar ke reels banati hoon, tab toh kisi ne kuch nahi kaha (For the past three weeks, people have been calling me a prostitute non-stop, and even my dear mother has been subjected to abusive name-calling. For what? For making a reel about the health benefits of namaz? I am a healthcare professional. I’ve made several reels on Hindu rituals and their health benefits as well… every Yoga Day, I share videos on asanas, especially Surya Namaskar, and no one said anything then).”
She added, “Mujhe sikhaya gaya hai R for Religion means R for respect, and this is how you respect? Especially to women? Reservation bill pass nahi hua toh sab bol rahe hai lekin jab women ki aisi disrespect hoti hai toh fir silence kyun? I have learnt long back, aap ke liye koi nahi hain, you have to speak up for yourself. So, for all my trolls, please continue, but remember Hinduism has a concept called Karma, and I am a proud Hindu (I’ve been taught that ‘R for Religion’ means ‘R for Respect’—is this what respect looks like, especially towards women? When the reservation bill didn’t pass, everyone spoke up, but when women are disrespected like this, why the silence? I learnt long ago that no one will stand up for you; you have to speak up for yourself. So to all my trolls, please continue, but remember, Hinduism has a concept called karma, and I am a proud Hindu).”
She concluded, “Continue at your own discretion because god’s watching you all. And for all proud, educated Hindus who believe religion means respect, especially for women, negative reels meri bahut viral hogyi, ab yeh waali viral karke dikhaao (Many of my negative reels got viral, now make this go viral).”
She captioned the video saying she had left for Bombay at 6:30 am and briefly stopped at 7 am to record the reel, adding that she has learnt silence is not a virtue and one must speak up against disrespect. She said people should raise their voices against anything that violates basic human rights and clarified that while she is used to personal trolling over the past five years since Shark Tank India, the purpose of her video was to urge Indians to speak up when they witness wrongdoing, out of humanity and patriotism. She ended the note with “Jai Hind”.
Why Namita Thapar faced backlash
In the video in question, Namita spoke about the health benefits of namaz. She described it as a full-body exercise that improves flexibility, supports joint and knee health, and enhances blood circulation. She also said it benefits mental health due to its repetitive and meditative nature. Additionally, she noted that the posture of Vajrasana, which is part of namaz, aids digestion and provides a pause from daily chaos. However, a section of social media users criticised the entrepreneur for discussing the health benefits of namaz.