Vibrant Muharram in Chennai

CHENNAI: Muharram processions are woven into their childhood memories. Vasant Kumar, Immanuel and other non-Muslim residents in Royapettah respect the religious and cultural customs and traditions of Islam. Muharram and Idd have become over the years as culturally relevant to them as Dussehra and Diwali.
As the tenth day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar to commemorate the sacrifice of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet, was observed by Shias and Sunnis in the city on Saturday, Hindus and Christians alike greeted their Muslim brothers and sisters.
Earlier this month, Muslims wished them for Navratri and Dussehra in a spirit of goodwill and tolerance that has marked the secular ethos of Chennai. By 8 am on Saturday, thousands of the faithful had started their processions from various quarters of the city to converge at the mosques in continuance of a tradition begun more than 300 years ago.
The ceremonial marches which started with a few hundreds of people have since swelled in numbers, recalls the septugenarian president of the Tamil Nadu Shia Muslim Convention Board, Kumail Hyder Khan. Senior Shia cleric Mirza Mohammad Athar Saheb has been coming from Lucknow to Chennai to address Muharram gatherings for the past four decades.
“I have high regards for Imam Hussain who sacrificed his life to uphold righeousness. For years I have witnessed Muharram processions along with our non-muslim neighbours and actually are silent participants at a mental level in these marches,” said R Emmanuel, 55, who operates a medical scan unit. He quotes Bishop Antoine Bara as having said, “If Hussain was Christian we would have put up a flag in every part of the world and called the people to Christianity.” Vasant Kumar whose forefathers have been resident near the iconic Thousand Lights mosque, said the Muharram processions have been absolutely peaceful and there is “an atmosphere of a spiritual kind reminiscent ofwhat Mahatma Gandhi had said that theprogress of Islam does not depend on the use of the sword by its believers”.
Gandhiji had hailed Imam Hussain as a great saint who had made a supreme sacrifice for the cause of justice.
“We Muslims should unite and promote peace, love and harmony drawing inspiration from the sacrifice of imam Hussain who stood against terror and oppression,” said general secretary of Shia-Sunni Unity Movement Nusrath Ali Khan.
Messages extending Muharram greetings to the Chennai Muslims have come from spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Bishop John Sathyakumar of the Anglican communion of churches.
"Today when the world is getting polarised by religious intolerance, it is essential that we build bridges across communities and cultures. Our foremost identity is that we are all a part of one human family. Other identities of religion, nationality, caste and gender come later. At the same time, just like different flowers in a bouquet, various cultures in the world, with their knowledge and wisdom, add richness to this world. We need to have unity in diversity, and at the same time, enrich the diversity because that is the beauty of our planet." Sri Sri said in his message.
“Remembrance of martyrdom of imam Hussain revives the spirit of Islam in the month of Muharram,” said John Sathyakumar of the Anglican Church in his message.