[Reader-list] Hindus, Muslims celebrate Lucknow's 'Holi Baraat'

[Yousuf]

Dear Kshmendra
Its good to think about how Hindus and Muslims can reciprocate each other's gestures in festivals. Actually you may not find any "hedonistic" Muslim festival today, but there were many more in the past. In fact, many festivals in India did not fall into the identity of any one festival.

Today, before we can talk about participation into each other's festivals, we have to look at whether we are even tolerating each other's festivities. Since yesterday I have heard communal violence broke out in at least 4 different places (in UP and MP) where a simple procession of one community was not being allowed to pass through the area of the other community. In fact, even the concept of a procession needs to be looked at - many people in cities like Delhi simply hate it when someone's religious procession blocks their traffic. Similarly, those participating in the procession don't care if their act brings the whole city to a standstill. Many religious processions are actually partly political procession too. So, how do we define a shared festivity in today's scenerio.

Probably tolerance is more important than celebration.

Yousuf 


--- On Wed, 3/11/09, Kshmendra Kaul <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Kshmendra Kaul <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Hindus, Muslims celebrate Lucknow's 'Holi Baraat'
> To: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>, ysaeed7 at yahoo.com
> Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 3:18 PM
> Just thinking aloud.
>  
> Holi is a festivity that finds it's roots in
> Hindu heritage. Yet, overwhelmingly at most places, in
> the Holi  celebration there is no brazen religiosity
> involved. Holi presents itself as charmingly secular
> in inviting participation.
>  
> Perhaps that is why Muslims find it easiest to join Hindus
> in Holi celebrations as compared to any other Hindu
> festivity.
>  
> Holi also lends itself very conveniently for Muslims to
> make a socio-political gesture of sharing the festival
> celebratory joys of the Hindus.
>  
> Such symbolism is not very meaningful if it is directed
> only by the Muslims towards the Hindus.
>  
> The question in my mind is how should Hindus be
> reciprocating for similar heartfelt gestures and also in
> making socio-political statements. The have to. They must.
>  
> Unfortunately the Muslims do not have any similar public
> festivities, at least none anywhere close to the rather
> hedonistic celebration of Holi. 
>  
> Perhaps:
>  
> - More widespread participation of Hindus in presenting
> 'chaadar' at the shrines of Muslim saints all over
> India and not confined to just a few like Ajmer Sharif
>  
> - Hosting by Hindus, at the local community level, of the
> 'iftihar' (breaking fast during Ramadhan) and not
> just attending 'iftihar dinners' hosted by fasting
> Muslims.
>  
> - Appropriately turned out Hindu contingent participating
> in the 'Zuljinah' procession (Shias)
>  
> - At the local community level presenting "Eid"
> gifts to the Muslim children
>  
> Just thinking aloud.
>  
> Kshmendra
>  
> 
> --- On Wed, 3/11/09, Yousuf <ysaeed7 at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> 
> From: Yousuf <ysaeed7 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [Reader-list] Hindus, Muslims celebrate
> Lucknow's 'Holi Baraat'
> To: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
> Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 2:09 PM
> 
> Hindus, Muslims celebrate Lucknow's 'Holi
> Baraat'
> 11 Mar 2009, 1310 hrs IST, IANS
> 
> LUCKNOW: Amid shouts of "Holi hai", a large
> number of Hindus and
> Muslims came together here on Wednesday for a 40-year-old
> practise of jointly
> celebrating the festival of colours in the old quarter.
> 
> Dancing to the beat of drums, the revellers assembled
> around 10 a.m. for the
> procession that began from the Koneshwar temple, Bharatiya
> Janata Party (BJP)
> Lalji Tandon said.
> 
> People walked for about four kilometres. "Holi baraat
> sets an example of
> communal harmony," Tandon said.
> 
> A resident of Chowk locality, Tandon has been taking part
> in the function for
> the last 40 years.
> 
> The night before, Muslims in the area collected heaps of
> rose petals and
> garlands that were showered on Hindus as they arrived for
> the celebrations
> Wednesday, residents said.
> 
> "In response we (Hindus) garlanded them and exchanged
> pleasantries. This
> is how we have been celebrating Holi for years," said
> Anurag Mishra, one of
> the organisers.
> 
> The procession passed through various localities of Old
> Lucknow as more and
> more people joined it.
> 
> "Throughout the route, Holi Milans were organised
> where sweets and special
> paan were offered to the revellers," said one
> resident, Shabi Haider.
> 
> The multi-community procession has not been discontinued
> even once during the
> past 40 years.
> 
> "Even when there was communal tension following the
> demolition of the
> Babri Masjid (in 1992), Holi in the Chowk area was
> celebrated with usual gaiety
> and gusto," said Ritesh Dwivedi, another resident. 
> 
> 
>       
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