Introduction
In a positive development for communal harmony and shared heritage, a group of interreligious civil society members successfully persuaded the railway authorities to reinstall the Urdu signboard at Varanasi City Railway Station. In the memorandum submitted by the group, the members pointed out that while Hindi and English signboards were restored after the renovation of the station, Urdu signboard was not installed for months, which led to protest from the civil society members. The memorandum was submitted by the group on July 16 last year to the superintendent of the railway station demanding immediate restoration of Urdu board, and the news was received this July 27 that Urdu signboard has been restored.
Varanasi is known for its rich heritage, religious diversity, and shared culture. There are five railway stations in Banaras and all the stations have station name boards in Hindi, English and Urdu since the beginning. For the past few years, efforts are being made to remove the Urdu name boards. This attempt was first made at Varanasi Cantonment station but after protests by aware citizens, the Urdu board was again installed after two years. However, attempts have been made to erase this shared identity which is based on mutual understanding and respect for different faiths.
The memorandum pointed out why only Urdu signboard was not restored and whether any new order had come owing to which the authorities had acted in such manner. The group had further expressed concerns to know if the move was motivated due to political reasons, especially given the communal environment in Uttar Pradesh and the country. With the restoration of Urdu signboard on July 27, the efforts of those who wanted to erase a shared identity has failed. The question was not just about an Urdu board but the fact that Urdu language is linked to the identity of a large number of people. While the Muslim community was silent and helpless when the board was removed, today it is expressing happiness when the board has been reinstalled.
This initiative was led by Muniza Rafiq Khan, Manish Sharma, Sagar Gupta, Shahid Khan, and Zubair Ahmed among others.
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