food for thought

W ith Durga Puja celebrations only four days, the time has come to be vigilant to prevent untoward incidents that can disturb commul peace and amity in the State. With assembly elections about six months away, agent provocateurs will try their best to set communities at each other’s throats, thereby helping some quarters derive political mileage. A letter written by the secretary of the Kumarpara Jamat committee in Guwahati recently to the Kamrup (Metro) Deputy Commissioner created quite a deal of adverse publicity with sections of the media blowing it up with shrill headlines and sound bytes. Social media too was abuzz with the letter which asked the DC to prohibit processions with Durga idols passing by in front of the Kumarpara masjid. It was contended in the letter that ‘such noisy processions disturb worshippers in the masjid during maaz’. Reacting to this news, questions were asked whether Durga processions across the State will be blocked on such grounds. Before the incident got out of hand, Hindu and Muslim residents of Kumarpara got together to nip it in the bud. An inter-faith public meeting was held in which members of Kumarpara Jamat, local masjid committees and Machkhowa idgah committee participated. The meeting unimously called upon the representatives of the district administration not to give any credence to the letter while its writer was roundly condemned by all present. A good example of responsible behavior has thus been set. As recent events in Dhubri, Silchar and Barpeta have shown, some mischievous quarters are desecrating places of worship with the motive of igniting commul riots. These attempts are likely to be repeated during the festive season, keeping the police administration on tenterhooks. But as Kumarpara residents have shown, the people can defeat such designs promptly by getting together, talking the matter over and remaining vigilant. Whether Eid, Durga Puja, Christmas or any other festival, it is an opportunity to show respect for other faiths and partake of their happiness. Late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam had once said: “For great men, religion is a way of making friends; small people make religion a fighting tool.”