மகாராஷ்டிரா: முஸ்லீம்கள் கொண்டாடும் கணபதி

Lalbaugcha Raja breaks religious barriers
15 Sep 2008, 0508 hrs IST, Ranjani Rajendra,TNN

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MUMBAI: Excited cries of Ala re ala, Raja Ala rent the air outside Byculla railway station on Sunday as Hindu and Muslim residents of the area came out in hordes to bid farewell to Lalbaugcha Raja.

The unique coming together of the two communities is no surprise. Residents of the area cut across religious barriers for this annual ritual of greeting the Raja as he makes his way to Girguam Chowpatty for visarjan.

Sunday evening saw the residents of Mohammed Baksh building emerge in all their strength with a mammoth flower garland as their offering to the Raja. The display of communal harmony doesn't end here. The group also distributed sweets to passers-by outside the Hindustani Masjid in Byculla.

"Very rarely do you find a Hindu going to a dargah. But here each year, Muslim residents pay respects in their own unique way to a Hindu God,'' said Chandrakant Patankar, a resident of the area, who comes every year for a final darshan of the Ganpati as he makes his way through the streets of Byculla.

Many residents waited patiently to catch a glimpse of their favourite deity from 3 pm, though the procession finally arrived at 8 in the evening. The Muslim residents , too, patiently took up positions on the streets and rooftops. Wahid Yousuf Shah, 24, a resident of the Mohammed Baksh building, said: "I have been coming down to greet Lalbaugcha Raja every time for the past 15 years now. We distribute sweets and offer a garland to Ganpati and it feels great. It proves that Hindus and Muslims can co-exist in harmony. I don't think we are any different from each other.''

Wahid is not the only one who has such sentiments. Ajaz Ahmed, who runs a sweet store in the area, said, "We should respect all religions alike.''

Ahmed watches the procession every year with his family and believes everybody has their own unique way of celebrating festivals.

People from as far as Ambernath came to Byculla to bid adieu to Lalbaugcha Raja. Vishnu Devi Singh, a resident of Ambernath, said she didn't mind the long commute for a glimpse of the Raja since it was not possible for her to visit the pandal at Lalbaug itself.

"We make it a point to see Lalbaugcha Raja at least once every year. One glance of him is all we need. It brings a sense of peace,'' said Shradha Sawant, a graphic designer who had come from Prabhadevi . Sawant seemed unperturbed by the fact that Mumbai had received terror threats and Super Sunday could well be a likely time for such attacks. "We came for a darshan of our favourite god. So why worry? He'll take care of everything,'' she said.

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