In another corner of Uttar Pradesh more than 600 km away from Ayodhya, two villages saw Barawafat turn into more than a religious celebration.
Keeping in mind the unity these villages have held into, one had seen a Ram Bharose Sharma lay the foundation of a mosque and in the other, a Nasheeruddin had laid the foundation of a temple.
Home to just over 2,800 people from both the Hindu and Muslim communities, Rithori in Dadri block is a small village.
“Both our temple and our masjid were acquired for the railway freight corridor that was coming up. The Yamuna (Expressway Industrial Development) Authority would compensate us so we could build them somewhere else. People were not too happy initially, but then we decided we would choose other sites,” said Dinesh Sharma from Rithori.
Elders from both communities finally decided on a site in the eastern part of the village for the mosque. Ram Bharose Sharma, a village elder, was among those who laid the foundation stone. “All of us came together to lay the foundation stone of the masjid. There have never been any differences among our people and we thought it is important that we highlight that. We want to stay out of politics,” he said.
The mosque is not ready yet and elders from both communities had to come up with another plan for Barawafat, marking the birth of Prophet Muhammad. “Prayers were offered under a canopy set up on the open ground opposite the mosque that is being built,” said Haji Abdul, another village elder. Working around alternative solutions has never been a problem here. The celebrations, however, were subdued.
Back at Rithori, the elderly usually avoid watching television. So on Saturday, the youth showed them news coverage of the Ayodhya verdict on their phones. But Rithori was unmoved. “Nobody here saw the temple or the masjid there. If there has been closure, it is good. For all these years, leaders used this to gain score political points,” said Abdul.
Uttar Pradesh: Painted saffron, toilet gets mistaken for temple in Hamirpur
