Muslim group mages Durga Puja committee in Bihar

Muslims are in a majority in the 97-year-old Kirodimal Gajand Durga Puja Committee that mages the festival, including conducting age old rituals, prayers and maging devotees at the temple dedicated to Goddess Durga in the heart of Begusarai, about 150 km from here.

“We are proud that Muslims help us, support us to celebrate Durga Puja. The Durga Puja Committee is domited by Muslims and they have set an example of harmony. This is unheard of anywhere else,” he added. Mun Goenka, another member of the committee, said that “we can’t think of celebrating the festival in such a big way without the support of Muslims”. Mohammed Anwar, Qamar Ansari, Chand Mian, Hashib, Zafar and Mohammed Farooque - all Muslims - not only help the Hindus to prepare for the festival but also join them in cleaning the temple premises, offer prasad to devotees besides assisting in other rituals. “Muslims helped the Hindus decorate the Puja pandal and ensure that the festival passed off smoothly and peacefully”.

One of the dozens of Muslims who helped the Hindus celebrate the festival said that he and other members of his community were only continuing an age-old tradition. “It is a matter of tolerance preached by Islam that one should help the other,” he added. Zafar, another Muslim, said dozens of Muslim youths helped clean up the temple and streets for the festival. “It is a classical case of commul harmony,” he added. The cordial relations between Hindus and Muslims can be gauged from the fact that there is a tomb of a Muslim saint, which is located hardly five meters from the Durga temple, and a mosque, about 50 meters from it. Ashok Goenka said that Muslims of his locality have decided not to take out processions in view of the Durga Puja during Muharram. “Muslims have decided to take out Muharram procession within Karbala as a symbol and not to disturb Durga Puja,” he said. Over 500 Muslim artisans are giving finishing touches to replicas of the Hindu temples and palaces crafted for the Durga Puja in Gaya, Pat, Muzaffarpur, Purnea, Bhagalpur, Madhubani, landa, Bhojpur and other districts. Muslim craftsmen have been invited from West Bengal and Jharkhand by the organisers of various festival committees to compete with one another this festival season, which has become highly market-driven over the years. (IANS)