They dance to celebrate harmony

Some 500 Hindu and Muslim residents of Dongri come together every year to play garba and spread the message of communal harmony through the nine-day Navratri festivities. The Haji Kasam Navratra Utsav Mandal is organising the event in the locality since 1982.

Residents of the colony located at Dr Maheshwari Road in Noorbaugh area of Dongri, which comprises 138 flats, are from both Hindu and Muslim communities, while a majority of the residents of Dongri are Muslims. They instal an idol of goddess Durga for nine days and organise various children’s competitive events like drawing, fancy dress and singing, and special events for women.

“For the past 35 years, we have been organising Navratri in our locality to spread the message of brotherhood among the community members. Residents of both communities celebrate the festival peacefully. We believe in communal harmony, for which the participation of both communities is equall important,” said Ashok Dumbare, president, Haji Kasam Navratrotsav Mandal.

Shehzad Mulla, a resident of the building, said, “We never discriminate people on the basis of religion. We celebrate all festivals of Hindus and Muslims with equal enthusiasm. We are happy to spread a message of peace and brotherhood among the communities.”

“The nine-day festival brings joy to the entire colony and we play various games and sing bhajans at night. The youngsters take the initiative to organise the event and we make sure that rules and regulations set by the government are followed and no nuisance is created during the celebrations,” said another resident.