Where Bhagwan guards a dargah

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">vadodara: his name is bhagwan and he happens to be the officiating priest of a dargah here for the past 38 years. he has had no formal training in islam nor has he learnt urdu or arabic, but he knows the essence of the religion. meet bhagwandas haribhai patel (77), a chaste hindu devoted to muslim saint kasim dulha.patel is the <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">mujavar</span> (priest-cum-caretaker) of the 250-year-old mazaar near laxmi vilas palace and has been protecting it for nearly four decades even if it meant risking his life during the riots. "i came to the dargah as a lad of 15 in 1941. i was afflicted with an illness that no medicine could cure. i prayed here and got well. it''s then that i started spending my evenings at this dargah and, in 1964, became the <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">mujavar</span> here," patel says. despite his lack of training in urdu, he rattles off urdu couplets and preaching of sufi saints as though he were an expert. "<span style="" font-style:="" italic="">maut se koi basar nahi, saman sau baras ka pal ki khabar nahi</span> (one can''t escape death, thou collect belongings for 100 years but don''t know what will happen the next moment)," he says. patel''s philosophy has armed him with courage to stand between the mobs and his place of worship. "in 1990, some miscreants entered the dargah complex but they were not able to cause much damage. the threat was imminent this time too but i am ready to lay down my life. i would prefer dying protecting this place. that would be the best form of death for me," he says. patel is not an exception at kasim dulha''s dargah. rather, he is the rule. for approximately 250 years the dargah has always had a hindu <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">mujavar</span>. before patel, madhavrao anandrao satham, a hindu from maharashtra, officiated as <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">mujavar</span> of the dargah. even today 95 per cent of the devotees paying obeisance at the dargah are hindus. "all <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">mujavars</span> till date at this dargah have been hindus. a majority of devotees are hindus. this is a tradition continuing since the time of maharaja khanderao malharrao gaekwad," explains patel. the dargah, which houses eight tombs, is built with donations from mostly hindu devotees. "ishwar and allah are the same. so are ram and rahim, mahadev and adam so why make a fuss? why fight in the name of religion when all lead to one goal," patel avers. he admits initially his dedication to saint kasim dulah made him a social outcast. "i had to walk out of my home, bear taunts and a word was spread that nobody should speak or keep any relation with me. but none of those orders stood the test of time because my conscience was clear. today, i''m not only accepted but respected in society," patel says. he has passed on his values to his sons, deepak and roshan, who help him at the dargah. many hindus living nearby help maintain the dargah and deter mobs from desecrating it during riots like the recent one. hindu devotees like retired executive engineer of the geb, n r patel, say the dargah is a symbol of communal harmony. "i''ve been coming here for the past seven years. both hindus and muslims pray here. the bond of brotherhood that binds them is stronger than the hatred that is being spread around these days," he says. another devotee, krunal shah, says "my father had one rupee in his pocket when he prayed for a house for the family. today, he owns a house in manjalpur and has been coming here for 30 years. i also come here every thursday." </div> </div>