Especially, when both sides join hands for the society, unlike politicians who bring Sants or Ulema for political mileage.
The Shankaracharya, Jayendra Saraswati, said that Hindus and Muslims in India have always been like Lord Rama and Laxman and the distance that came up between the communities in the last couple of decades must be bridged back again.
"The mothers of Ram and Laxman were different [Kaushalya and Sumitra], yet the love among Dashrath's sons was unparalleled while Bali and Sugriv were born to the same mother but were enemies", he said referring to Hindu epic Ramayana.
Muftis, Qazis and other Ulema honoured Shankaracharya. Imam Organisation office-bearers said that all issues can be sorted out if religious leaders and community members come together for discussion rather than letting politicians take charge. Sanskrit mantras were chanted along with echos of Allah-O-Akbar in the same function.
All this may be dismissed as rhetoric but the truth is that the mainstream Hindu leaders like Shankaracharyas never got swayed by the right-wing political movements including the Hindutva wave. Else the frenzy created in the 80s-90s may have acquired another level.
It is to their credit, just like some of the major Islamic seminaries who remained calm during the movement. The speakers urged the gathering to revive the ganga-jumni culture and celebrate each others' festivals. The era when Hindus made tazias and Muslims helped in making the Dol, should be recreated.
One of the Shankaracharya's trust in Ayodhya is working for the benefit of Muslims also. He announced that another trust would be soon established to help unemployed Muslim youths through vocational training and assistance for entrepreneurship.
Even cynics must accept that such events do send a message to members of both communities. Jayendra Saraswati is the head of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham in Tamil Nadu. The event was organised to mark his 75th birthday.
[Harmony exists all around us but is often ignored. Instead, stories of hate, discord and communalism get spread easily.
There are a million examples in our daily lives across India but they don't get promoted, hence, news of hate and discord gets heard more. Let's change it, now. This is a small attempt to change it through Communal Harmony Project]
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