'Hindus, Muslims are Varanasi's two eyes'

City's minorities hope for a government that's for communal harmony.

If you walked along an imaginary line starting from Matakund mosque in Varanasi's north, the Yaqoob masjid on the west stretching up to Shri Hanuman mandir and then on to Shree Shiv mandir in the south while traversing along Masjid Meer Nazeer Hussain on the east and joining back up in the north at the Hazrat Jahangur Shah dargah, you would have roughly covered Lallapura - Varanasi's predominantly Muslim neighbourhood and the very heart and soul of the holy city's legacy of cultural coexistence over the centuries.
About a 20-minute leisurely stroll from Kashi Vishwanath - one of Hinduism's most famous and holiest Shiva temples, located on the western bank of the famous Ganges - it is the home of the celebrated Banarasi weavers who have mastered the craft of fine silk and zari work (embroidery in pure gold) like no one else in the world.
Much before Ustad Bimilliah Khan, a Bharat Ratna (India's highest civilian honour) and known in his lifetime as a pious Muslim who dedicated his life to music much of what he practised in the courtyards of Varanasi's Hindu temples - strung Varanasi's two most important communities together with the shehnai, it was the craftsmanship of these weavers in Lallapura that left its indelible imprint - on the royal regalia of the yore to India's modern-day bridal wear and of course everyone's heart and soul.
On Sunday, the 14th day of the holy month of Ramadan, many fasting Muslims from this weaving community came together to vote - in hopes of a government, they said, would be "inclusive and secular" in its outlook.

"Hindus and Muslims are like two eyes of Varanasi. If you pop one of them, Varanasi will turn blind," said Mohammed Billal Qadri, 32, while waiting to cast his vote at the Anglo Oriental Muslim college, one of the several polling stations in Varanasi, that went to polls along with 58 constituencies (12 other in Uttar Pradesh) across six Indian states and one Union Territory yesterday on the seventh and the final phase of India's grand general election. "We have always co-existed in this historic city as one and we want a government that's free, fair and compassionate towards both the communities and not one that wants to break us apart on the lines of religion," he further said, alluding to Narendra Modi, India's sitting prime minister and the de-facto commander-in-chief of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, that's largely perceived as hyper-nationalistic and often anti-Muslim.
"Unemployment is a big issue for sure but for us the one that hurts is this sentiment against us. We are often made to feel that we don't belong here. We are as much a son of the soil as anyone else and we want as much progress for the country, just as anyone would," said Mohammed Shahid, 25, another weaver from Lallapur. "I am literally from the next door. I have grown up here all my life and I am as much a part of this city and country as anyone. I hope the new government acknowledges that and not break us apart by creating religious tensions," added Shahid, who like his friend Qadri and hundreds and thousands of Muslims of Varanasi, came to vote in the extreme heat with temperatures touching 40 degrees, despite fasting for Ramadan.
42-year-old Mohammed Arif, also from the same community told Khaleej Times that Muslims like him often feel sidelined because of a growing anti-Muslim sentiment by the party in power. "Just look at today. We are fasting and we should be able to cast our votes quickly and go home but it's become a painful exercise waiting for an hour in the sun because of the slackness of the authorities. They have no concern that we are without food and water from dawn to dusk," said Arif, who runs a shop in Varanasi's Dal Mandi. "Our sentiments, concerns and issues are not even secondary or tertiary for the government but it should change, so we feel included in the grand scheme of things," he said.
Modi, who won from Varanasi in 2014 with a margin over 350,000 votes is expected to win again this time from Varanasi with Congress' Ajay Rai, who polled less than 80,000 votes five years ago to be behind Arvind Kejriwal in third, in the fray.
abhishek@khaleejtimes.com