Image: News18
On Sunday, members of a Ganpati visarjan (idol immersion) procession, set a beautiful example of communal harmony when they passed by a mosque in Malad. This happened on the fifth day of immersion.
According to a report in the Times of India, they switched the music that was hitherto playing bhajans (Hindu devotional songs) to play, “Bhar de jholi meri ya mohammed,” a popular Islamic devotional song.
And while the actions of the participants at the procession in Malad were truly commendable, this is not the first such instance in Maharashtra. During Ram Navami, the DJ of a procession had also paused music while they walked past a mosque in Aurangabad.
This is far cry from many previous instances of communal clashes during similar religious processions, particularly those that took place during Hanuman Jayanti and Ram Navami earlier this year in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa and Rajasthan. In many instances, videos of the clashes circulated on social media showed people swinging swords and waving religious flags aggressively as the DJ played songs with lyrics demeaning followers of other faiths.
Hopefully, we will see more examples of communal harmony and respect, instead of violence, in the years to come.
Related:
Aurangabad: Ram Navami procession shows respect to mosque
Gujarat: Locals blame election politics for Ram Navami violence
Communal confrontations mar Ram Navami celebrations in five states