Muslim trader awarding prizes to Vijayadashami tableaux’s
Prayagraj: On the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami, all Chowkiyas (tableaux) will be given prizes by Shagun Group. Yes, you have heard it, right! Muslim traders and community members frequently sponsor and award prizes to Vijayadashami (Dussehra) and Durga Puja tableaux in Sangam City, serving as a powerful symbol of the country’s Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb (communal harmony). Prominent Muslim traders and local community members in the city’s historic neighborhoods actively sponsor puja committees and support festive processions. They honor local artisans and the organizers of spectacular festive tableaux with shields, shawls, and cash awards during Vijayadashami celebrations. This gesture is part of a long-standing tradition of mutual participation in religious festivals across Sangam City.
The hues of Durga Puja and Dussehra in Prayagraj are transcending religious limits, as individuals from the Muslim community are taking part in the celebrations, backing puja committees, and even helping with the festivities. The historic neighborhoods of the city, where families have coexisted for decades, are once more displaying their Ganga-Jamuni culture during the festive period.
In Kareli, the Durga puja committee of GTB Nagar Barwari has crafted the pandal based on a theme of a past era, highlighting vanishing household items, old-fashioned lifestyles, and reflections of India’s cultural heritage. The organizers stated that the goal is to acquaint the younger generation with artifacts, traditions, and ways of life that are slowly disappearing due to swift modernization. The committee has aimed to revive past memories through the display, providing children, young people, and older visitors a chance to engage with traditional life and maintain its cultural importance.
The pandal is situated across from the residence of businessman Mohammad Akram “Shagun,” a prominent trader and social worker, who resides in the mainly Muslim neighborhood. Akram visits the pandal every evening with his family and friends and helps with the preparations. “Honoring the traditions of another community does not lessen our own beliefs. Festivals gain significance when individuals join in collectively and honor one another’s beliefs,” stated Akram.
Akram has been connected to the puja committee’s events, recognizing members with the ‘Shagun Gaurav Samman’. He and his companions have honored craftsmen from Kolkata engaged in the puja arrangements with shields and shawls. He additionally gives out awards during ‘Hathoda Barat of Chowk’ and ‘Muggdar Barat’ of Daraganj, customary parades that take place prior to Holi.GTB Nagar Barwari president Pradeep Kumar Dutta stated that such involvement has become a key aspect of the area’s festive traditions. “Our festivities are not confined to any religion.” “The involvement of neighbors from various communities enhances social unity and embodies Prayagraj’s longstanding Ganga-Jamuni cultural heritage,” he stated. Small enterprises are also participating in the festivities. Mohammad Moin Uddin, who operates a tailoring store in Dhoomanganj, provides a 20% discount to Bengali clients having garments made for Durga Puja. His family and he also explore various puja pandals throughout the four-day festivities.
