Hindu-Muslim bhai bhai
November 2010
While politics may thrive on the communal divide, a remote village in Karnataka’s Gadag district has shown otherwise.
The spirited folk of the Purtageri village crossed over the religious divide to come together and rebuild a crumbling mosque.
The 50-year-old bamboo roof mosque in the predominantly Hindu village was leaking and in need of repair. The handful of Muslims in the village, who could not afford to pay for repairs, were finding it exceedingly hard to pray with rain leaking inside. Village elders and the gram panchayat inspected the structure and found that a concrete roof is the only permanent solution. As work began, help came pouring in. Cement and slab dealers contributed construction material, workers offered free labour and other villagers donated money.
Allasaab Nadaf, a daily wager at a saw mill, said that he was very happy with the initiative. “Had our Hindu brothers not helped, the mosque would not have got repaired. No Muslim is involved in the renovation, as all of us are poor and can’t afford to miss even a day’s wage,” he said. Hanumant Mushigeri, a BA student, said he was proud to be a resident of a village which upholds secularism as much in words as it does in deeds. We hope this kind of integration works its way up to the national level.
(Source: The Times of India)
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