By Aleem Faizee, Ummid.com,
Encouraged by the peace and harmony with which people of Malegaon live in the town Malegaon Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sudhir Raut is organising a week-long program focusing Communal Harmony and National Integration in the town.
Supported by several organizations and educational institutions of the town, Malegaon Municipal Corporation is organizing a Communal Harmony and National Integration program in terror stricken Malegaon that will commence on Wednesday November 19, 2008. The program that will continue for a whole week will be inaugurated by State Minority Commission Chairman Naseem Siddiquee at 11:00 in the morning at an especially convened inaugural function on November 19 at Shivaji Town hall. Imminent personalities, activists, senior journalists and people working for communal harmony and National Integration have already given their consent for the various programs to be held during the week.
Releasing the details of the week-long program in a press conference on November 12, 2008, Municipal Commissioner Sudhir Raut discussed the details of the important and timely initiative and sought the support of the media to spread the message of peace and harmony throughout the globe from Malegaon.
In an exclusive video interview with ummid.com, Sudhir Raut spoke in length about his Communal Harmony program and his views about the people of Malegaon. “By remaining peaceful first after the blast in September 2006 and then again in September 2008, people of Malegaon have shown to the world that they are actually peace loving people and such acts of terror cannot break the strong bond with which they are living in this Muslim dominated Textile town”, said Sudhir Raut and added, “Encouraged by the show of harmony demonstrated by the Malegaonians that I had taken the initiative to hold this program in the town.”
Elaborating the details of the program he said, “Apart from State Minority Commission Chairman Naseem Siddiquee who will be inaugurating the drive, dignitaries like Former Chief Secretary J&K Dr. Mehmoodur Rehman, Principal Secretary of Maharashtra Satish Tirpathi, IAS Sumit Malik, Prof. Shahejahan of Tata Institute of Social Science, Abdul Majid Parekh – son of the veteran Islamic Scholar Ab. Karim Parekh, Senior Journalist Hasan Kamal, activist Ram Punyani and Editor of Sakaal Vishwash Deokar are coming to the town. They will participate and address the meetings to be held at different venues in the town on different dates in this week.”
“Moreover”, informed the Commissioner, “We are inviting Police Commissioner Suresh Khopde to address the Mohalla Committee of the town and discuss various initiatives he had taken at places like Bhiwandi.” State Information Commissioner Ramanand Tiwari, the Commissioner said, has also agreed to come to the town for a special program on Right To Information (RTI) Act.
Along with a painting exhibition and essay competition participated by the school students and a rally led by District Collector S. Chokalingham and Nashik SP Dr. Nikhil Gupta, a Mushaira and Kavi Sammelan on two different days will also be organized on November 21 and November 24 respectively. The commissioner said, prominent poets and musicians have already given their confirmations for the two cultural programs that will be simultaneously combined with a music night. The week long program will culminate on November 25 with a valedictory session and price distribution ceremony.