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

[Kshmendra Kaul]

Dear Yousuf
 
I look at it differently.
 
There should be no need to call upon 'tolerance'. Asking for 'tolerance' suggests to me that something distasteful or illegal is being indulged in which one is being asked to bear with.
 
IF the Laws and the application of the Laws is fair and equitable then each one would have the equal right to indulge themselves in action or speech within specified limits. Yes I know it is a big IF, but if one does not first define the ideal then one cannot set pathways towards the ideal.
 
As far as 'processions' are concerned (in any situation), then they would be equally banned for everyone or equally allowed for everyone (to the same extent of disciplined or indisciplined teeming on the roads). Once that is clear, no one has the bloody right to selectively allow or disallow. 
 
Nor does any procession, Religious, Political or Secular have a right to disrupt or inconvenience the lives of those who are not interested in being a part of the procession.
 
Kshmendra

--- On Wed, 3/11/09, Yousuf <ysaeed7 at yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Yousuf <ysaeed7 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Hindus, Muslims celebrate Lucknow's 'Holi Baraat'
To: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>, kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com
Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 4:42 PM

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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