Beyond doubt, this year’s festive mood is unprecedented and uniquely dormant due to the continued COVID-19 lockdown. But just ahead of this year’s Eid celebration, these two separate instances of kindness, and communal harmony brought us all together with joy and hope for a better tomorrow.
Vaishno Devi Shrine Serves Sehri and Iftar To 500 Quarantined Muslims
In the first instance, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, one of the richest and most revered Hindu shrines of the country, had provided sehri and iftar, in the morning and evening respectively during the holy month of Ramadan to at least 500 Muslim migrants isolated in Katra’s Aashirwad Bhawan.
These migrants, formerly stranded in different parts of the country, were brought in special trains and buses to the centrally situated Udhampur town of Jammu and Kashmir from which Katra is close to 40 km away. Since March 20, the shrine board has expended about Rs.80 lakh to feed the deprived.
#Covid19: Epitomising communal harmony, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine has been providing sehri and iftari to around 500 Muslims quarantined at Aashirwad Bhawan in #Katra during the holy month of #Ramadan@smvdsbkatra @Rameshkumarias
Report: @devjmu pic.twitter.com/hdXKkgdADB
— DD NEWS JAMMU (@ddnews_jammu) May 23, 2020
“Those brought to Aashirwad Bhawan are mostly laborers, who are fasting during the month of Ramazan. So, we decided to provide them sehri and iftar every day,” said the board CEO, Ramesh Kumar as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
Sikh Community Members Sanitized The Jama Masjid In Delhi
Kilometers away from J&K, at the heart of the country’s capital, the members of the Sikh Community heart-warmingly came together to sanitize the Jama Masjid premises prior to the celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr.
The purpose of the kind gesture was to ensure and enable a sanitized and COVID-free environment for the Muslim brethren. In fact, they have been sanitizing places of religious worship across the country. Behind the noble work were the participants of the UnitedSikhs Instagram page. Their consorted efforts have been praised for making humanitarian gestures as well as showcasing the unity among the minorities of the country.
Despite venomous communal polarization across the country, these acts not only retain our faith in humanity but also guarantee the strength of unity across religions in the face of a common crisis.
How do you plan to express communal solidarity amidst the pandemic situation?