July 1 is celebrated as the Communal Harmony Day in Gujarat, in honour of martyrs Vasantrao Hegeste and Rajab Ali Lakhani, who laid down their lives to protect communal amity.
It may be early to project Communal Harmony Day as a people's day in Gujarat; however, looking at the record of participation in last 10 years the day can turn out to be one of the most important days in the state.
July 1 is celebrated as the Communal Harmony Day in Gujarat, in honour of martyrs Vasantrao Hegeste and Rajab Ali Lakhani, who laid down their lives to protect communal amity between Hindus and Muslims when riots broke out in the city on July 1, 1946, on the occasion of Rath Yatra. Their death anniversary was celebrated for some years, but it slowly passed into oblivion.
In 1998, the Movement for Secular Democracy (MSD) revived the tradition of paying tributes to the duo in the Sheri, celebrating their ultimate sacrifice. Since then, the celebration has undoubtedly captured people's mind. In last decade, the day has seen the number of participations-celebrations increasing.
Hanif Lakdawala says, "There is no doubt about it. Due to MSD the day has become much popular. However, up to 2002-03, participation was limited to the so-called intellectuals and some people of secular vision. However, after 2003, people from both the communities - Hindu and Muslim - pay tributes to the duo every year."
The participation this year has increased and reached the colleges. On Tuesday, 'Anhad' celebrated the Communal Harmony Day in Gujarat. During the celebrations, youths of different colleges discussed communal harmony, while well-known activists, Prashad Chacko (human rights activist) and Mahesh Pandya (Paryavaran Mitra), participated in the programme as speakers. On the other hand, city-based NGOs such as Nazariya, Prashant and Action Aid will organise a series of street playsat four different places in the city.
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