Serving communal harmony with ‘sewaiyan’ on Guru Parv

LUCKNOW: At a time when artistes, historians and scientists are crying hoarse over ‘rising intolerance’ in the country, a city-based Muslim group has decided to do its bit for spreading communal harmony here in Lucknow.

The group, called Shoulderto-Shoulder, is planning to distribute ‘sewaiyan’ and feed devotees in a community feast being organised on Novemebr 25 on the occasion of Guru Parv, to celebrate the birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak.

“Communal discord is a social disease. By distributing sewaiyan among our Sikh brethren and devotees on the pious occasion of Prakash Utsav, we are just trying to spread harmony and unity among the various communities in the city. We hope our effort would cure this ‘social disease’ to some extent,” said S Mohammed Haider, a corporate lawyer who leads the group.

He said that while some members of the group would be engaged in preparing ‘sewaiyan’, others would be doing ‘shram daan’ by feeding devotees at the Bal Sanghralaya on the occasion. “Other members would also help in the preparation of food and other delicacies during the community feast. A few of the members would also be serving food to the devotees,” Haider said.

The group has already received a clearance from the Lucknow Gurudwara Prabandhan Committee (LGPC) that welcomed the initiative, calling it a part of Lucknow’s ‘GangaJamuni tehzeeb’. LGPC president Rajender Singh Baggha said the initiative would send a message of communal harmony among other sections of the society.

The group’s initiative has also received a thumbs-up from its members and supporters on the social media. “Shoulder-toshoulder is an open platform and anyone who believes in the oneness of humanity and universal brotherhood is welcome to join,” reads a wall post of the group on Facebook. Besides, the group has also an attached form for those who wish to become a part of this initiative. This is not the first time the group has been engaged in such activities.

Earlier, the group had provided grounds for Shias and Sunnis to offer namaaz together on the occasion of Eid-ul-Zuha, making it the first time that members of both the Islamic sects had offered prayers together on one premises.

THE GROUP’S INITIATIVE HAS RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM ITS MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA