Beyond borders, festivals belong to all

Sumit Paul 

Chand rishte makhsoos hote hain/ Jo sarhadon ke pare jaate hain’ (A few relations are so special/ They transcend all man-made boundaries), penned Kunwar Mohinder Singh Bedi ‘Sahar’ years ago. But the relevance of his couplet is timeless. Stranded at the lowest ebb of Indo-Pak relations at the moment, I remember with a sense of nostalgic fondness, how the people of both countries hardly gave any importance to the ever-happening conflicts and perceived discrimination. The general public of Pakistan is still friendly with Indians and vice versa. I was in Karachi a few months ago in the thick of the ongoing turmoil. The Association of Pakistani Universities invited me to deliver lectures at various universities out there. I just didn’t feel that I was in an ‘enemy’ country. I taught Islam at premier universities and came back unscathed. 

Whether it’s Diwali, Holi or Eid, the masses of India and Pakistan are seldom prejudiced. I remember, when a few years ago, I lost my Arabic professor and mentor, Dr Zaifa Ashraf, just a few days prior to jashn-e-charaaghaan (Persian for Diwali), I was sad. Despite being an avowed atheist, she would celebrate all festivals with gaiety and a sense of equality. So, her demise before Diwali saddened me no end. I decided not to celebrate the festival. 

Since she was a pariah in Pakistan owing to her radical views on Islam, she could never visit her country once she left it at the age of 17, in 1970. But she had friends there, who remained loyal to her till the end, despite her apostasy. One of them was Dr Tahira Naqqash, the HoD of Rekhta, classical and contemporary Urdu at the University of Islamabad. She later became my guide on a very polemic subject. 

When she realised that I was down in the dumps because of my professor’s death, she phoned me and asked, ‘Barkhurdaar, aap shab-e-charaghaan mana rahe hain na?’ (My dear, are you celebrating Diwali?) I told her that I didn’t feel like celebrating it because of Dr Zaifa’s departure. 

She just said, ‘Humare saath manaiyega’ (celebrate with me). And lo! A day before Diwali, she arrived in Poona. I was surprised beyond words. I couldn’t believe that she air-dashed to India just to cheer me up during Diwali! That was the most memorable Diwali that I had in my life. This consolidated my belief that festivals didn’t belong to any community or ethnic group. The festive spirit is what’s most important. And that spirit binds us together and creates everlasting bonhomie. 

The crux of Diwali or any festival is spreading boundless mirth and joy. It brightens lives and fosters better relations. So, why darken it by perpetuating bad blood and ill feeling?