– Mohammed Atherulla Shariff
Bengaluru, Dec. 14: Quite surprisingly an unexpected guest stepped into a Masjid, a saffron clad saint. He was there to invite the Masjid visiting believers to a programme in the nearby temple. He also requested the Masjid committee people to serve the famous Ramadhan special vermicelli sweets to devotees visiting the temple. The Masjid committee accepted the request wholeheartedly and they did it.
This happened in a historic town Hospet in the mining district Bellary of Karnataka. And is being highly admired as an example of communal harmony.
A famous Lingayat religious centre Shri Kottur Swamy Samsthana Mata was celebrating the 50th anniversary. Niranjan Basavalinga Swamy, the head of the Mutt reached the Masjid e Tyyaba to invite the Muslims to join the celebrations. The Swamy was warmly welcomed by the people there. He explained how the non-Muslim brethren feel to have the vermicelli sweets in Ramadhan Eid, and he also requested the Muslim brothers to serve the same sweets to devotees visiting the celebrations. The Muslims happily agreed. And it was a feast for no less than three thousand non-Muslim devotees.
Firoze Peeran and Yaseen, the office-bearers of the Masjid, went with their team, and the sweets were prepared in the Mutt premises. And during the preparations, Muslims were provided the facility to offer Namaz in the temple premises. The Mutt authorities honored the Masjid Committee members in the Utsav with shawls, garlands and other precious gifts in reciprocation.
