Seraj Anwar/Patna

At a time when the Udaipur and Amravati-like killings threaten to sour the age-old Hindu-Muslim relations, a heart-touching incident from Patna has shown how the two communities continue to live and follow the religion of humanity.

The incident is about a Muslim family in Patna whose members not only sheltered a homeless Hindu for years but also respected his religion and when he passed away gave him a cremation as per the Hindu rites on Friday.

The 75-year-old Ramdev had no relatives to call his own. It was three decades ago that he had come to d Samanpura locality of Patna in search of work. When the patriarch of the family Haji Rizwan saw him he was crying from hunger and pain. His family fed him and helped him calm down. Rizwan’s elder brother Mohammad Armaan hired him as a salesman at his shop located at Buddha Plaza.

So, when on Friday Ramdev died of natural causes with no family or immediate relations, the Haji family decided to give him a befitting farewell.

The younger members of the Hajji family carrying Ramdev's arthi to the cremation ground

All the brothers of Haji Rizwan decided that Ramdev must be given the send-off to his celestial abode the way a family member is given. The Muslims of the neighborhood also joined and helped in decorating the arthi (bier) for carrying the body to the cremation ground.

With Muslim pallbearers carrying the bier and chanting the slogan “Ram naam satya hai” (God’s name is the only truth), the Muslims carried Ramdev’s body to the cremation ground on the banks of Ganga and performed the last rites as per the customs of Sanatan dharma. Haji Rizwan, his elder brother Mohammad Armaan, Rashid, and Mohammad Izhar attended the cremation.

Haji Rizwan told Awaz-the Voice that Ramdev was a member of the family, not a staff. “When he came to our house wandering, we were young at that time. We grew up under the shadow of his care and love. Today, it looks like a member of the family has left us.”

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He says that though he sees the environment of hate around he grew up in a different environment. “Hatred cannot be overcome by hate; it has to be dealt with love. Islam has given us this message, which was followed by my family.”