Promoting communal harmony, this Muslim family polishes idols for Hindu brothers

Pune - Some have allowed them to offer their Ramadan prayers from the temple's pier, others have organised their evening iftar, reports TOI.

Setting an example of communal harmony, Usman Shaikh's family in Pune has been devoting its workmanship to many Hindu temples in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
According to The Times of India, the family of gilders has been polishing idols, jewellery, crowns, doors, canopies and other metallic artefacts, sometimes free of cost.
They have been associated with the Pune Navaratra Mahotsav for the last 15 years.
The religious tolerance has also been reciprocated. Some have allowed them to offer their Ramadan prayers from the temple's pier, others have organised their evening iftar, reports TOI.
Karim Shaikh, said, "India is a land of festivals and it is pertinent that those of different religions all come one after the other. Even inside temples, we work with our muslim caps on our heads and no one has ever stopped us. We have never been made to feel like outsiders. In fact, we have been allowed by temple purohits to use their premises for our prayers. It's a different level of unity that we have encountered everywhere and it makes us feel that we are all equal as Indians and as humans."
Referring to an incident in 1993 after the Babri Masjid demolition, he told TOI, "We were on the roof of the city's Mahalaxmi temple to clean its canopies. Passers-by below thought we are there with some ulterior intention and a huge group rushed inside to warn the purohit. He, however, diffused the tension by calmly telling them that we are known to him. We felt good and safe that day."
The family polishes metallic artefacts that turn black due to oxidization and exposure to weather. The family also uses some basic machinery to take care of part of their work, reports TOI.

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