LOVE ALL: Quiet Ganpati procession, veg iftaar: Pydhonie set an example for Mumbai
Pydhonie, a flashpoint of the 1993 riots, has come a long way since those dark days and today is a manifestation of the phrase ‘unity in diversity’. This is especially apparent during festivals such as Ganpati and Eid, and even weddings and funerals. On Fridays, as Muslims offer namaz at Minara Masjid, Hindu residents of the area help the police manage traffic on the ever-crowded Mohammed Ali Road.
Likewise, during Paryushan, Muslim vendors ensure they don’t sell meat too close to the area’s Jain temple, which is across the road from Minara Masjid. All such activities are overseen by the mohalla ekta committee, a part of the local mohalla committee. Mohalla committees were formed all over the city in the aftermath of the 1993 riots with the aim of re-building communal harmony, and Pydhonie’s remains especially active.…
Zapatlal Singh, another member of the mohalla committee, said Pydhonie could very well be a model of communal harmony for other neighbourhoods to emulate. “We take the peace and harmony of the area very seriously. Participating in each other’s festivals is just one way of showing that we will be there for each other. But it’s not just happy occasions – we are also together during tragedies such as deaths and disasters,” he said.
