Jaipur: A moving example of unity and compassion was witnessed in Bhilwara’s Gandhinagar area when a Muslim youth performed the last rites of his Hindu neighbour, 67-year-old Shanti Devi. She had been living alone since 2018 after the deaths of her three daughters and a son.
Shanti Devi passed away on Sunday at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, where she was undergoing treatment. With no immediate family around, 30-year-old Asgar Ali Khan stepped forward to take responsibility. Asgar, who runs a small shop in Jangi Mohalla, said Shanti Devi treated him like a son since his childhood. “She would ask me daily if I had eaten. After losing my parents, she filled that gap in my life. Her death felt like losing my mother again,” he said in tears.
Khan, supported by his friends and neighbours Ashfaq Qureshi, Abid Qureshi, Shakir Pathan, Firoz Qureshi, Inayat, and Zabid, carried out all the funeral rituals. They arranged the funeral, carried the bier, and performed the cremation according to Hindu traditions. Many local Muslim women also wept during the procession, remembering Shanti Devi as part of their community.
Relatives from Madhya Pradesh arrived later to join the final journey. Khan said Shanti Devi’s ashes would be immersed at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj or Matrikundia in Chittorgarh, as per her wishes.
This act of compassion by Khan and his community stood out as a reminder of the bonds that transcend religious boundaries.
