mahmudabad fort

An inter-religious peace programme scheduled at the mahmudabad fort on Friday was cancelled at the last minute after the administration refused permission citing fears of tension in the area. Acharya Pramod Krishnam, who had to deliver a talk at the programme, was not allowed to head towards Mahmudabad from a hotel in Lucknow.

A bus with 25 students wheeled into the mahmudabad fort on Friday morning after a 15-hour journey from Ashoka University in Gurugram, Haryana.

If you often presume people's sect or religion by observing the things they do, a visit to Mahmudabad on Friday would have left you very confused. A saffron-clad sadhu paying respects at the shrine of Hazrat-e-Abbas; a group of Shias performing their rituals inside a Sunni mosque; 'marsiyas' remembering the martyrs of Karbala being recited in classical ragas; women applying, along with vermillion, oil from lamps lighting up imambaras--It was an image of intermingling India in all its vividness.

A saffron-clad sadhu paying respects at the shrine of Hazrat-e-Abbas

The pallid, smudgy walls of mahmudabad fort glistened in yellow lights as hundreds of followers of Imam Husain (Prophet Mohammad's grandson and martyr of Karbala) walked barefoot on the rugged path from the outer gate to its interiors, beating drums and reciting 'nauha' (elegy) that filled the air with a tradition that has been part of the cross cultural commemoration of Muharram at the royal estate.

"In most part of the world, I had met only Sunnis from Asia but here is an example of how much more there is to India than just one culture," said Philipp Jeun from Switzerland.

Barefoot on the rugged stone path, son in tow, Raja Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan of Mahmudabad strides with his jareeb (wooden staff) pitted straight on the ground as the Mehndi Juloos at Bilehra (Raja Sahab’s maternal hometown) progresses from one part of the 14th-century fort to another.

The direct descendants of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar complain that they get a pension of only Rs 400 a month from the Indian government.

As students and alumni of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) prepare to celebrate the birthday of founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, it is worth noting Mumbai's significant role in turning the college into a university. Mumbai hosted the All India Mohammedan Educational Conference in 1903, where a resolution was passed to establish a Muslim university. Notable figures such as Dadabhai Naoroji and Sir Aga Khan played crucial roles in the establishment and funding of AMU. Mumbai also maintained a connection with AMU through the Dawoodi Bohras, with three of their leaders serving as chancellors of the university.