Unique inter faith bonding marks festive season in the city of Taj
Agra: A few Hindu convicts who observed ‘roza’ during Ramzan repaid the gesture made by certain Muslim inmates who joined their Hindu colleagues to fast on Navratri in a show of interfaith unity and friendship.
The Muslim holy month of Ramzan began on March 22 and Chaitra Navratri, a nine-day Hindu festival of the victory of virtue over evil, began the next day.
The deputy inspector general in charge of Central Prison, Radha Krishna Mishra, told PTI that Muslim detainees were participating in organized “bhajan” (devotional singing) at the nearby temple in addition to fasting for Navratri.
Mishra remarked, “It is a fantastic notion where convicts from both the faiths are producing a message of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood,” pointing to the Hindu inmates who were watching roza.
An convict named Naushad discussed his thoughts on fasting during Navratri in a video that the jail administration distributed. On the first day of Navratri, I fasted, and I’ll do the same on the final day. We all coexist peacefully and with respect for one another’s religious beliefs in prison. We participate in the bhajans held in the temple and sing with the Hindu prisoners.
According to jailor Alok Singh, there are 905 prisoners housed there. 37 Hindu convicts followed roza, while 17 Muslim inmates fasted during Navratri. For detainees who are fasting for Navratri, the jail administration has made preparations for fruits and milk. The authorities have planned times to end their fasts for the prisoners who are observing roza.
The jail staff has also been organizing “Bhagwat Katha” for the inmates since last Friday. A “bhandara” will be held on March 31. That encourages the prisoners and keeps them motivated, Singh said.
According to Vartika Nanda, the founder of Tinka Tinka, a social organization that promotes the wellbeing of prisoners, prisons are the ideal setting for the interchange of religious rites and celebrations. “It is a fantastic illustration of unity and mutual respect when convicts from various faiths participate in each other’s rites,” she added.
Courtesy – PTI
