Young Muslim boys residing near Ellisbridge and Sardar Bridge are always found lending a hand in the immersion, celebrating the festival with great fervour.
Several Muslims in Ahmedabad have not just been taking part in the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations every year, but have also been actively involved in the Ganesh Visarjan, exhibiting a sense of communal harmony.
Young Muslim boys residing near Ellisbridge and Sardar Bridge are always found lending a hand in the immersion, celebrating the festival with great fervour. Some Maulvis are also part of the Ganesh puja in the city.
“I have been celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi every year by being of the celebrations along with my Hindu friends. This makes me no less a Muslim for doing so,” said Mohammad Ismail, a 22-year-old resident of Shahpur.
It is the youth that has been cutting across all barriers of religion, caste and community, bringing together hundreds of Hindus and Muslims to join in a colourful parade to immerse idols of Lord Ganesh, reasserting communal solidarity in a city rocked by religious violence in the past.
“More than 200 of our boys help out during the entire festival. Nearly 80 of them are actively involved in the Ganesh immersion. We try and draw more and more youngsters every year for this activity, which is something that promotes communal harmony and binds all of us together,” said JV Momin, secretary of the Ahmedabad Tazia Community.
The young boys keep intact the unity of all religions in the city and are participating despite of the ongoing holy month of Ramzan. Jamal Khan, a resident of Khanpur said,
“I fast for all 30 days of Ramzan, no matter what I am doing. But at the same time, I make sure that I do not miss out on helping with the Ganpati immersion. Both festivals have coincided this year and I am going to be equally involved in this activity, as I have been during the previous years, this time around too because for us, humanity is before religion.”
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