Muslims serving Hindu devotees during annual Kanwar Yatra: Communal harmony project-37

The Kanwar Yatra is an annual event in North India.

Thousands of youths take the holy water to long distances and offer it on the deity--Lord Shiva.

The photograph on the left shows a Muslim man providing first-aid to a Hindu devotee, termed Kanwaria [Kanwariya]--youth taking the Kanwar.

The other photograph shows Muslim men offering sherbet to the devotees passing by the town. 

These photographs need to be published here because mainstream media doesn't provide space to them and ignores such examples of communal harmony.

During Muslim processions, Hindus offer sherbet at many places. And in case of Hindu processions, Muslim youths too offer their services. This is Indian culture.

Unfortunately, we live in an era when even such gestures, that are common in towns, need to be photographed and shared. 

It is because in big cities, where people have little time to interact and live in suburbs or gated communities, don't have any idea about this common culture and shared heritage.

Many just live on Twitter and Facebook [WhatsApp] now, not on streets or mohallas of the mixed townships in cities, qasbahs and villages. For them, it's a different world. Though it is the real India.

[Harmony exists all around us but is often ignored. Instead, stories of hate, discord and communalism get spread easily.

There are a million examples in our daily lives across India but they don't get promoted, hence, news of hate and discord gets heard more. Let's change it, now.

This is a small attempt to change it through Communal Harmony Project]

For reading similar reports on this blog, Click the link HERE and also find out more about Communal Harmony Project]

#Communalharmony #Communalharmonyproject #India

How Kashmiris take care of injured Hindus during Amarnath pilgrimage: Communal harmony project-36

This photograph speaks volumes about Kashmiri Muslims.

It shows local Muslim youths holding the glucose bottles in their hands, to provide immediate relief to Hindus injured in the Amarnath  Yatra mishap.

When the Hindu pilgrims were injured after the bus fell in the gorge, Kashmiri Muslims were first to reach the spot to treat the injured and provide first-aid.

"We are alive just because of the Kashmiri Muslim brothers", repeated pilgrims when cameramen reached the spot.

In fact, the victims seemed surprise that the Kashmiris cared for them, so much. This is because of TV-WhatsAPP-social media propaganda.

Nearly 17 pilgrims died while around 30 were injured when a bus skidded off the Jammu-Srinagar highway on July 16.

Local Kashmiris rushed to the spot, did their best to save the injured and got medication.

Certain TV channels may consistently target them and defame them, but it is these Kashmiris who are role models. The self-styled 'nationalist journalists' must realise they spew venom against Kashmiris but can't help anyone on the ground.

It is the local Muslims who ensure that Hindu pilgrims complete the Yatra, safely. Whenever there is trouble, it is the Kashmiri Muslims who show their humanity and come first. You may get irked by terms like 'Kashmiriyat' but the truth is that this is real humanity.

When Junaid is killed in a train in Haryana, Akhlaq lynched in his house in UP, Pahlu Khan murdered in Rajasthan and Muslims being lynched by 'gau rakshaks', Indian Muslims and Kashmiri Muslims show the way.

Our society--predominantly, most Hindus and Muslims are peace loving. But TV channels and propaganda on WhatsApp has turned a section into lumpen hate-mongers. Sadly, even such incidents did not get enough space on TV and in newspapers.

[Harmony exists all around us but is often ignored. Instead, stories of hate, discord and communalism get spread easily.

There are a million examples in our daily lives across India but they don't get promoted, hence, news of hate and discord gets heard more. Let's change it, now.

This is a small attempt to change it through Communal Harmony Project]

For reading similar reports on this blog, Click the link HERE and also find out more about Communal Harmony Project]

#Communalharmony #Communalharmonyproject #India

Why media is surprised over Lashkar's terrorist Sandeep Sharma?

When the police busted a terror module, they claimed arresting Sandeep Sharma, a Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist.

The news was played up as, 'Lashkar's Hindu terrorist arrested', as if it was something rare.

In fact, soon after his name appeared, there were speculations and also immediate follow-up stories that how he fell in love with a girl and took to militancy.

There was a sense of bewilderment. It is true that we haven't heard about many Hindu names in Jammu & Kashmir's militancy. But thousands of Hindus have been involved with terrorist and extremist groups in India.

ULFA, which is also banned terror outfit, just like Lashkar, has had thousands of militants in its cadre over the last three decades or so.

The group [ULFA] has been solely responsible for the highest number of deaths due to insurgency-militancy in India. There are dozens of such groups in North East.

The Maoist terrorism also has nearly 90% Hindu cadre. They have been responsible for terror attacks, have killed ex-ministers, politicians like former Union minister VC Shukla, attacked and blown up buildings and installations for decades.

The right-wing terror groups have been involved in dozen-odd attacks ranging from Malegaon to Mecca Masjid attack. Names like Ramchandra Kalsangra, Sandeep Dange, Amit alias Ashish, who have been wanted for over 100 killings in Samjhauta Express and other bombings are still, absconding.

Then, from LTTE to Abhinav Bharat and anatan Sanstha, there have been extremist and terror groups with huge Hindu membership. Remember, former RSS' members were not just arrested but convicted and jailed for attack on Ajmer Dargah.

As far as Sandeep Sharma is concerned, he is basically from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. He was a welder who took to crime and later became a face of Lashkar-e-Toiba. He was close to Bashir Ahmad Wani.

LINK:

*LeT has a Hindu face, his name is Sandeep Sharma LINK

Modern Indian history: Cow vigilantes' terrorism, lynching Muslims over beef rumours, merciless killings

For any Indian, it is one of the saddest period.

Right-wing extremism has reached a stage where cow vigilantes' atrocities and incidents of lynching have become a regular affair.

Muslims are being targeted, killed by mobs. A teenaged Muslim gets killed in train because mob assumed that because he is a Muslim, he would be consuming beef.

This happened near Delhi. In other parts of India, the law-and-order has deteriorated exactly in the same fashion. Any Muslim can be killed or lynched over a rumour.

A man carrying cow to his home for milk is killed just because he is a Muslim. Another carrying meat is killed because it is believed that the meat would be nothing but beef.

No police complaint, seizure or lab test is required.

This is 21st century India, where Muslims can be killed at will.

When an armyman's father can be killed by a mob after announcement from a temple that his fridge had beef, one could perhaps have an idea about the situation.

Muslims never thought that they who gave their blood for India's freedom, would one day have to go through it.

In UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, everywhere Muslims are being attacked over rumours or suspicion of carrying beef.

Till a couple of years, it would have been unbelievable that lawlessness would take over the country, so fast.

That the state would not be able to control the right-wing lumpens and that the vigilantes would rule the streets.

But this has happened within a few years, a very short time.

The fact is that the right-wing Hindutva extremism had been rearing its head in India since 1980s.

The rise of militant organisations like Bajrang Dal, which openly give arms' training to its cadre, should have woken up the state.

But the authorities remained lenient towards them, even during Congress regimes.

Social media revolution has given it a fillip and took it to next level. After Facebook, it was WhatsApp that was increasingly used to spread propaganda and hate in Indian society.

The result is cow vigilante groups who seem to have the licence to attack or kill anybody. No one knows when the State would act against them. Accuse anyone of smuggling a cow or consuming beef, and then kill the person--it has become so simple.

That's 21st century India.

One hates to post such pictures. But there is no other option. One has to post them. After all, this is happening in India each and every day. We must accept that we are one of the most inherently violent societies.

Unless we accept it, we can't make efforts to change it. We must rise, stand for humanity, fight the fascist forces, take on the extremists and save this nation. If we don't do it right now, it may be too late.