By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
Patna: Bihar Anjuman, a voluntary organization of Bihar, welcomed Sikh devotees during the 350th Prakash Utsav of Guru Gobind Singh in Patna for three days from January 2 to January 4.
The Anjuman offered free coffee, water and biscuits at their stall at Gaighat near Gurudwara. The volunteers worked day and night to serve devotees. Welcoming them, the coordinator, Mohammad Naushad Ansari, said that Islam and the prophet of Islam (SAW) have taught Muslims to be kind to the guests and extend their hospitality at the cost of their comfort. “The purpose of organizing this stall is to promote communal harmony besides services to the needy. After all this is 350th Prakash Utsava and we may never see such huge number of devotees in our lifetime,” he added.
Millions of Sikh pilgrims from the world, including India, visited Patna, the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikh religion.
Members of Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, while talking to Irshad Alam, a senior member of Bihar Anjuman and Director of Saleheen Academy, said that Sikhism and Islam are monotheistic religions and some of the the teachings enshrined in Sikh scriptures are very close to Islamic teachings. He felt pleased for the hospitality been offered at the stall.
Anwarul Hoda, Vice-President of Peace Foundation, while extending his overwhelming welcome to the devotees, said that the interaction of different communities’ and unity is a must for development of this country. “Brotherhood and harmony is the essence of all the religions”, he emphasized.
Many of the guests were taken by surprise seeing Muslims from Patna hugging and welcoming Sikhs with the greeting ‘Aval Allah Noor, Upaya, Kudrat ke Sab Bande”. The posters at the stall contained sayings of Guru Nanak Maharaj along with teachings of service to mankind and brotherhood too were highlighted in the banners.
“Punjabis should remember our hospitality when they go back,” said Imteyaz Alam, an educationist and social activist of the locality. Shakeel Ashrafi, an NRI and one of the founders of the Anjuman, felt that such occasions need to be utilized to promote brotherhood and amity in the society. He was overwhelmed offering his services to the visitors.
Students of Saleheen Academy, dressed in their school Islamic attire, stood for hours with water bottles and biscuit packets in their hands, which was the main attraction at the stall, giving a clear message that new generation aspire education along with peace and communal harmony. “The dedication and passion of the students to serve pilgrims is amazing”, said Tajinder Singh from Amritsar.
Speaking with Twocircles.net, Irshad Alam said, “The refreshment stall was set up near Gaighat check post and ran for almost two days. The children of Saleheen Academy did a wonderful job and left a wonderful impression on the Sikh pilgrims. Some devotees also donated generously after seeing our efforts. We had initially planned the provisions for 5,000 people, but increased it to 10,000 later. This was an attempt to spread the message of communal harmony, and learn from each other.”
The volunteers were so careful about the nitty-gritty that they kept their head covered which is a norm in Sikhs. “We have learnt in these days the dos and don’ts of Sikhism,” a volunteer at the stall said.
