Amidst reports of communal violence during Ram Navami processions, this Aurangabad procession is winning hearts by opting to turn off the music while passing by a nearby masjid.
Music is a favourite part of any religious event. As such, the city’s Ram Navami procession arranged for a DJ with light accompaniment. The crowd danced to the music until the rally reached a local masjid.
In a now viral video, the host of the procession can be heard saying, “For two minutes, the DJ will pause the music. After we pass by the masjid, we will resume the music. There is no problem. We all need to live together to make all religions coexist.”
The video of the announcement was shared on Twitter with captions like, “Here is why #Maharashtra is special. This is my hometown, Aurangabad where this group celebrating Ram Navami, announced that the DJ will stop when we cross the mosque.”
Here is why #Maharashtra is special. This is my hometown, Aurangabad where this group celebrating Ram Navami, announced that the DJ will stop when we cross the mosque.
The speaker says it’s just 2mins of no music but we have to respect each other. pic.twitter.com/dR2Z0DoS3S
— Bilal Jaleel (@bilaljaleel_) April 11, 2022
The decision by the yatra comes at a time when cities in Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Goa, Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar and multiple locations in Gujarat reported communal violence on Sunday. In many places, processions deliberately stopped outside local masjids to blare loud music or wave saffron flags at the mosque’s gates.
The procession’s decision along with the deliberate message of secularism emphasises Aurangabad’s plural culture that makes room for all religions.
Related:
Gujarat: Locals blame election politics for Ram Navami violence
Communal confrontations mar Ram Navami celebrations in five states