Ghaus Sivani/ New Delhi
Muharram, the solemn month in which Muslims observe the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Islam’s Prophet Mohammad, and other members of his family comes with its cultural aspect of bringing the Hindus and Muslims closer as there is a tradition of Hindus observing Ashura, the procession of mourners in memory of the Islamic heroes.
Muharram is observed to commemorate Imam Hussain’s martyrdom in AD 680 along with over 100 of his companions in the battle of Karbala fought against the army of Yazid, the then ruler of what is today Syria.
One can find many cities and villages in India where the Hindus also join the mourning that is mainly done by he Shia Muslims. Lucknow is the most famous in this case, where the tradition of joint mourning by different communities has been continuing since the era of the Nawabs.
In the city of Nawabs, one can find many Hindus who dress in black like the Shias. Not only Shias and Sunnis but also Hindu mourners show enthusiasm in carrying forward the tradition of decorating Imambara, the traditional place where the procession ends. Many Hindu families in the old quarter of Lucknow are still engaged in carrying forward common civilization by being part of making taziaya. Taziya can be brought home on any day between the eve of the first day of Muharram and the ninth day and buried on the tenth day known as Ashoora.
The Hindus call Imam Hussain “Hussain Baba.” Parmod of Saadatganj said the taziyas he makes are the replica of the shrine of Hazrat Imam Hussain in Karbala, Iraq.
He said, "21 generations of my family have been into making tazia.” He believes that by making tazia on a particular day, the celestial powers ensure food for the whole year for his family. He said that his grandfather also used to make tazia, then his father has been carrying on this tradition. He makes Taziyas on order and he is even invited to far-flung areas for the job.
Similarly, Harish Chandra and Santosh Kumar have also been working here for years. And so have been the families of Naresh Kumar of Dubaga and Ravi Kumar of Azad Nagar.
Similarly, dozens of families in Hussainabad, Muftiganj, Saddar, Balaganj, and Hyderganj are engaged in making Taziyas. Due to the Corona epidemic, the price of paper, decorative items, and other materials have increased leading to the higher costs of taziyas.
The Hindu villagers of Haripur, Jagranathpur panchayat in the Katihar district of Bihar celebrate Muharram to fulfill a promise made to their forefathers.
The same is the case with the Hindu community of Mahdia Haripur. In this village with a Hindu population of around 1200, the community has been observing Muharram with regularity for more than a hundred years. All customs regarding Muharram are also well followed. Apart from this, a condolence procession is taken out in the entire village. However, for the last two years due to the Covid pandemic, the government had banned all religious processions and gatherings and it was for the first time that there was a break in the tradition in 100 years.
The villagers believe a local named Vakil Mian was in deep grief after the death of his son and he left the village. Before leaving the village he asked a villager named Chhedi Shah to celebrate Muharram in Hasanganj which is a Hindu majority area and there is no Muslim family in this village.
The Hindus have kept their promise to Vakil Mian. Villagers say that this tradition has been going on for 100 years and will continue.
.webp "Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the President of Ramakrishna Mission Swami Gautamananda Maharaj")
