Families unite in prayer for peace

NEW DELHI: When the prayers of a Hindu intersect with those of a Muslim, Sikh and Christian, their cumulative force is sure to bring peace to a land violated by terrorism. Bereaved people came together at the Sarv Dharma Prarthana Sabha organised by the Sarojini Nagar Mini Market Traders Association on Tuesday, the third anniversary of the 2005 bomb blasts that left 62 dead.But the prayers were not merely for victims of the Sarojini Nagar blasts; there were families who had lost loved ones in the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings, as well as those whose grief was still raw families ripped apart by the series of blasts in the city in September.
Ashok Randhawa, president of the association, spewed venom at the perpetrators of communal disharmony, saying, "Un logon ka dimag kharab hai. Is prarthana sabha mein sabhe shamil hein jab khoon behata hai, to ek bekasoor insaan ka hi behata hai, na ki Hindu ya Musalmaan ka (Those who resort to militancy are crazy. The blood the flows on the streets when people are butchered, is of the common man, irrespective of whether he is Hindu or Muslim).''
Amidst the crowd were Indu Poddar and her fifteen-year-old daughter Diksha. The family lost its youngest member seven-year-old Karan, who was shopping with his father Vinod in the market on Diwali eve, three years ago. Vinod, who survived, lost his right leg. "We don't celebrate Diwali. All I do is make puri-aloo-halwa and distribute it to street children. Karan was fond of Lays potato chips, so I distribute packets of those too,'' said the tearful mother. Carefully broaching the subject of compensation, she mentioned that though they had received Rs 3,00,000 on behalf of her deceased son and Rs 50,000 for her husband, handicapped by the blasts, "life was difficult.'' Reiterating that money could never compensate for the loss of a child, she did, however, admit to mounting medical expenses.
While a few families have received compensation, there are others who are still struggling to get their dues. Indu Bansal, who lost her brother, sister-in-law and their young daughter-in-law in the Sarojini Nagar blasts, said, "It's like asking for bheek (alms). I'm the only next-of-kin, but since I'm married, I can't claim the money.''
Indu's questions have perhaps also plagued Masrat, who was widowed when her husband Quasim, a rickshaw-puller, died in the Gaffar Market blast. Masrat, a Kashmiri who only speaks a local dialect and was unable to express her frustration, managed a smile at the mention of Kashmir. "She wants to go back to Anantnag,'' said Hassan, her brother-in-law. Fighting her battles has left him cynical: "File upar gaye hui hai bas yahi sun rahe hein, aur koi jawab nahin milta (The file is being reviewed by higher authorities that's the only response we've got so far.) Aware of the fact that the young widow is entitled to Rs 5,00,000 from the Delhi government and another Rs 3,00,00 from the Centre, he lamented, "Sab khokle vyade hein (The promises seem false).''
The prayer meeting culminated in a two-minute silence. But for Bam-Bam Kumar, elder brother of Santosh, the 12-year-old who died in the Mehrauli bomb blast on September 27, the silence has been destroyed forever, with the voices in his head: "Two of our neighbours came running to our house, shouting Santosh khatam ho gaya (Santosh is no more).'' Those words will haunt him forever.