Hindu 'kanyadaan' of Muslim girls on Godhra anniversary

VADODARA: Jayesh Dalwadi is not related to Shehnaz Sheikh, Rahima Kadiya and Shehbani Sheikh. But on Sunday, he performed 'kanyadaan' for three Muslim girls, a ritual usually performed by the father in Hindu weddings.
The occasion was a mass 'nikaah' of 25 Muslim couples organized by the Godhra Samagra Muslim Samaj, which brought the two communities on a single platform and had Hindus perform a ritual akin to 'kanyadaan'.It also, to some extent, lifted the mood in Godhra on the ninth anniversary of the train carnage in which 59 persons were burnt to death in the Sabarmati Express, sparking riots that left over 2,000 people killed.
Even as anxiety was palpable on ground zero of the 2002 riots as a special court on March 1 is set to pronounce the quantum of sentence on 31 convicts for setting ablaze the S-6 coach, the mass marriage did assuage some feelings.
"Scores of Hindus, including a Jain trader, a Dalit government clerk, a jeweller from the Soni Samaj and a Patel running a farm equipment business in our town, have wholeheartedly donated for the future of these young couples. The likes of Dalwadi even paid Rs 3,000 as registration fee for the brides," said Rafik Tijoriwala, one of the committee members of the samaj.
"We are tired of the taint Godhra has lived with since 2002. It is time to move forward for the well-being of all."
Mohammed Hussain Kalota, former Godhra municipality president, expressed similar sentiments. "It is a sign that Godhra is moving towards development and this will help bridge the gap between the two communities," says Kalota, who has been acquitted in the carnage case and was present at the event.
"Most of them (Muslims) are my friends. This event gave me a good opportunity to help them financially," says Rajesh Parikh, who supplies stationery to schools, adding, "In the past I have individually helped Muslim girls by providing them free stationery for their education. But I donated for the mass marriage to send across a stronger message of bonding."
The 'nikaah' where young brides and bridegroom from Panchmahal district tied knots witnessed a gathering of 8,000 guests at the Masjid-e-Kuba near Chandni chowk area. The menu had only vegetarian items as organizers wanted to respect the religious sentiments of the non-Muslims.
"For two years, I have been supporting them by gifting household items. This time I decided to support them in cash as that would help these couples get financial support when they start their new lives together," said Sanjay Soni, a jewellery shop owner in Godhra.