Icons of 2002 communal discord now a picture of religious harmony
Marking a fresh start, Ashok Parmar alias Ashok Mochi, (45), a photo of whose saffron-bandana-clad, iron-rod-wielding self after the 2002 Godhra train burning had become a photographic reminder of the carnage, opened a shoe shop in the city Friday. Cutting the ribbon to mark the inauguration of the shop was Qutubuddin Ansari, a tailor recognisable for his photo seen pleading for help on February 28, 2002 during the riots.…
Qutubuddin Ansari, who was the guest of honour at Mochi’s shop opening, had temporarily settled in West Bengal in the aftermath of the riots. Ansari, a tailor, was caught on camera pleading to Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel for help, from his home on the Narol-Naroda road on February 28, 2002, when the riots were at its peak in Naroda Patiya area of Ahmedabad. The picture of his blood stained shirt and his tear-filled eyes became the image that spoke for the victims of the Gujarat riots.…
Mochi had joined the Dalit Azaadi Kooch in Gujarat in 2017 to fight for the rights of his community after the public flogging of Dalits in Una. Seen cutting a busy figure of a warm host at the inauguration of his shop, Mochi points out, “This is the Hindu varna system that continues to keep me stuck as a cobbler. They don’t let us move ahead.”…
SEE ALSO:
- Is talking about peace and communal harmony a crime in #NewIndia, asks ANHAD (Sep 2, 2019, National Herald)
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/is-talking-about-peace-and-communal-harmony-a-crime-in-newindia-asks-anhad - ‘Masjid sab ke liye’: Maharashtra’s Chandrapur witnesses unique inter-faith event (Sep 6, 2019, Indian Express)
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/masjid-sab-ke-liye-maharashtras-chandrapur-witnesses-unique-inter-faith-event-5970170/ - Hindu-Muslim Society distribute bedsheets, blankets (Sep 4, 2019, The Hitavada)
https://www.thehitavada.com/Encyc/2019/9/4/Hindu-Muslim-Society-distribute-bedsheets-blankets.html - After JUH, Jamaat -e- Islami Hind seeks dialogue with Hindus to build brotherhood among communities (Sep 3, 2019, Times of India)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/70966119.cms
