Hindus, Sikhs crossing religious barriers observe fasting
By: Nizam Hussain
INDORE, India: In a novel gesture of communal
harmony, about 100 devout Hindus and a few Sikhs joined
Muslims in fasting this Monday here at the popular Churiwale
Karim Baba Dargah (mausoleum) in Indore.
Hundreds of people of with different religious identities,
including 32 Hindu women, sat together in prayers and fasted
the day-long at the Churiwale Karim Baba Dargah (mausoleum) in
Indore.
Many had reasons of their own that explained why they crossed
religious barriers.
"Yes, I follow the routine of fasting from dawn to dusk called
'Roza'. I have felt blessed after I started paying obeisance
here. Today, my health is fine and vices are gone. I
believe that if a visit to any place of different religion
brings such a sea change in one's life, one should also like
its ritual like Roza as a respect," said Munna Parmar, a
Hindu devotee.
Varsha Shrivastava, a mother of two is grateful that her
infant son is surviving only after making prayers at the
mausoleum.
"Last year, I had a cyst in the neck region and the doctors
said that it was in a very bad condition and required surgery.
But Maulana Ausaf Baba here said it was not required, as the
Prophet's blessings and prayers would help in heal. I have
been coming here regularly for the last 15 years and feel that
I am blessed with a stable family, home and a good life. That
is why I keep this Roza fast," said Varsha Shrivastava.
For Maulvi Ausaf Baba, the caretaker of the mausoleum,
religions are of no consequence, as long as one knows how to
reach out truthfully to the Lord in Heaven.
"There are many forms of worship which are for all to see and
talk about, like pilgrimage to the Haj, offering the Namaz
(prayer), or giving in charity. But a Roza is an intimate
conversation, a close communication between Allah (the Supreme
Lord) and his servants (the followers). Nothing else could be
stronger," said Maulana Ausaf Baba.
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"Knowledge is
better than wealth because it protects you while you have to
guard wealth. it decreases if you keep on spending it but the
more you make use of knowledge ,the more it increases . what you
get through wealth disappears as soon as wealth disappears but
what you achieve through knowledge will remain even after you."MORE
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