Muslims participate in Kashmiri Pandit woman’s marriage ceremony in Ganderbal

GANDERBAL — In yet anoth­er exam­ple of cen­turies old tra­di­tion and com­mu­nal har­mo­ny, Kash­miri Mus­lims par­tic­i­pat­ed in mar­riage cer­e­mo­ny of a Kash­miri Pan­dit woman in Lar vil­lage of cen­tral Kashmir’s Gan­der­bal dis­trict.

Locals, while talk­ing to reporters here, said that the Mus­lim neigh­bours par­tic­i­pat­ed in the mar­riage cer­e­mo­ny of Meenu Kumari daugh­ter of Late Pan­dit Mohan Lal in Lar vil­lage.

They said that they par­tic­i­pat­ed in every rit­u­al of the mar­riage cer­e­mo­ny of pan­dit woman and also eat togeth­er, while being with their Pan­dit brethren for the last four days.

“This is an exam­ple of age old tra­di­tion and com­mu­nal har­mo­ny under which both Mus­lim and Pan­dit fam­i­lies have been liv­ing togeth­er, even as there have been unfavourable con­di­tions many times,” the locals said.

Mean­while, talk­ing to reporters, dis­trict pres­i­dent Gan­der­bal Sanatham Dharam Sab­ha, Badri­nath Bhat said that the func­tion was going on for the last four days here and in these four days, Mus­lim neigh­bours includ­ing men and women par­tic­i­pat­ed in every rit­u­al.

He said that Mus­lim men and women par­tic­i­pat­ed in mehandi­raat, oth­er rit­u­als includ­ing singing and danc­ing, which gives a clear mes­sage that how Mus­lims and Hin­dus have been liv­ing in their neigh­bour­hood in the Kash­mir Val­ley.

“We have been liv­ing togeth­er for years now and we have par­tic­i­pat­ing in each other’s func­tions, be it mar­riage, someone’s death or any oth­er func­tion, we have been togeth­er. Recent­ly some of our Mus­lim broth­ers went for Haj pil­grim­age, we also went to see them off like their Mus­lim rel­a­tives did,” he said.

Mean­while, anoth­er local Altaf Ahmad said that they have been liv­ing and brought up togeth­er in the neigh­bour­hood and it was their duty to par­tic­i­pate in Hin­du woman’ mar­riage cer­e­mo­ny.

He said that this a cen­turies old bond between Hin­dus and Mus­lims here and it will not be bro­ken by any mis­chie­vous ele­ment. “We have been liv­ing togeth­er and we will con­tin­ue to do so and will sup­port and love each oth­er in every thick and thin,” he said.

Mus­lim women were see­ing wel­com­ing the groom and also par­tic­i­pat­ed in singing and danc­ing includ­ing “Kash­miri Wan­wun” along with Pan­dit woman dur­ing the mar­riage cer­e­mo­ny. — (KNO)