– A K Kukkila
An inspiring incident took place in the heart of Mangalore in Karnataka’s Daka district. The Muslims here gave sweets to the Hindus who were marching in the procession. They distributed cold drinks. They gave ice cream. The leaders of the Jamaat’s administrative committee have sought this welcome when the procession of offerings held on the occasion of the re-consecration of the Amevu Sri Adishakti Devi temple came in front of the Badriya Juma Masjid in Bajal Nanthur.
This is not an isolated development. Muslims and Hindus of the same Kandak area of Mangaluru are sharing love for each other like this every year. During the Shobha Yatra, members of the Kandak Muslim Jamaat here distribute sweets and cold drinks. During the Miladunnabi procession, the Nityananda Ashram Committee here along with Yuvashakti Friends distributed sweets.
In January 2017, a special gathering was held at Mastikatte Junction in Ullal near Mangalore. When the offering procession of the Ullalti Dharma Ursara temple here reached Mastikatte Junction, Muslims distributed cold drinks and water.
In September 2024, there was a situation of conflict in Mangalore. The Sangh Parivar had organised the BC Road Chalo protest. During the Miladunnabi procession in Mani, 10 kilometres away from the same BC Road, Hindus distributed sweets. They gave water. They hugged each other.
In May 2025, the Brahma Kalashotsava programme of the Gopalakrishna temple in Belthangady in the district also made news at the state level. A local named Munir had donated a tree for this program. The stage for the programme was built on the land given by Abbas. The land owned by TH Ustad’s children was given for parking. The same land given by Muslims was also used for water and food distribution. But BJP MLA Harish Poonja had spoken very provocatively from the same platform. He had made a hate speech against Muslims.
Not only that, after the programme, the temple management wrote a letter to Muslims expressing regret.
Between harmony and conflict, there are very few days of conflict. Almost all the days of the year are harmonious. But they are never in the news. The media does not even give them as breaking news. But the situation of conflict is not like that. It becomes news on the side. It becomes breaking news. It comes and sits on the front page of newspapers. It becomes a topic of discussion everywhere. Speeches are made on it. Writings are published. Programmes are held. That is why every day there is a situation of conflict, which is something that is created in public.
The truth is that people want harmony. They want to share sweets and greet each other and feel comfortable. If we focus more on harmonious events, the plans of those who want conflict will fail. This is the need of the hour.
