SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, April 17: When some parts of different states witness tension, such as between two communities on the occasion of Ram Navami, Muslims of Dhanbad show a grand example of communal harmony to the country by facilitating the festival for Hindu devotees.
Muslims help Lord Ram devotees
Here in Coal City, some Muslim community members bring bamboo from remote villages for Ram Navami Dhwaja, others stitch Dhwaja (flags), and still others provide flowers to temples to perform religious ceremonies.
Seventy-year-old Majid Ansari, a resident of Maharajganj (Govindpur block), has been bringing bamboo from the village and selling it in Coal City on the occasion of Ram Navami for the past 46 years. Though he sells bamboo at a fixed price, he does not disappoint poor devotees by providing transportation costs to facilitate the festival.
“I do bamboo business only on the occasion of Ram Navami for Mahaviri Jhanda while sales Lachha during Ramadan. Even during the Chhath festival, I bring dead mango wood from the village forest for Hindu devotees,” said Majid Ansari.
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Majid Ansari gets support from Hindu acquaintances
Majid Ansari said he never differentiates Hindu—Muslim festivals and gets financial support even from Hindu acquaintances to run the Lachha business in the city during Roja/ Eid.
Mahaviri Jhanda
Md Asgar (65), a resident of Rangatand in the city, has been stitching and selling Mahaviri Jhanda for 30 years. He brings cloth from Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The price of Mahaviri Dhwaja ranges from Rs 30 to Rs 2000. In addition to the township, he supplies flags in Jharia, Sindri, Katras, Govindpur Nirsa, and other places.
“In business, religion does not matter. Since my family’s livelihood runs from this Mahaviri jhanda, we make it with devotion to satisfying the devotees,” said Asgar.
They also supply flowers
At the same time, a section of Muslim members supply flowers to temples free of cost on the occasion of Ram Navami.
Around 40 Muslim families of Vikhrajpur village, under Balaipur block, around 20 Km away from the district headquarters, do flower business. Still, on the occasion of Ramnavmi and other Hindu festivals, they provide free flowers to decorate nearby temples.
Flowers growers Md Subhan (75) and Md Mustaque said supplying flowers to temples on Ramnavmi is a long tradition in this Muslim village, and every farmer enjoys providing them. “Even communal conflicts in parts of the country have not deterred the communal harmony spirit of Muslims in the last 46 years,” said Md Subhan.
