Dr Nasir Akhtar
is running a foundation for Sikh Muslim cooperation in Punjab and is well known
for his devotion to Sikh Muslim Unity.
The news about Muslims donating 33
tonnes of grain to Golden Temple Langar waswidely reported .This
initiative of Malerkotla Muslim was highly appreciated by the Sikh Community
around the world. The Muslim group reached Golden Temple and did Kar Seva while
handing over grains’ trucks to the Golden Temple authorities.
Dr Nasir Akhtar
of the ‘Sikh-Muslim Affinity Foundation’ speaks of the heart warming response
in Punjab to Muslims contributing 35 tonnes of foodgrains for the free kitchen
at the Golden Temple, Amritsar.
How did the Idea
of Collecting Grains and Send it to the GoldenTemple come to your mind?
During the
COVID-19 lockdown, Golden Temple had issued an appeal for grains. The Golden
Temple runs a huge Langar (free kitchen) where food is served to everyone
irrespective of their religion. I felt that we should also contribute. While it
was possible to collect grains from a few wealthy people, we decided to collect
five Kgs of grains from each household in Muslim majority villages.
It took us 35
days and we received a huge response. It has had a positive impact on the
brotherly relations between the two communities.
What was the Reaction of the Sikh Villagers in Malerkotla?
Whenever we
reached a village where Sikhs and Muslims lived together, Sikh women would
break down, cry and pray for us. They would offer us cold water to drink and
insisted on serving us meals in their home. The elderly Sikhs blessed us.
Sometimes we would reach a village and find that Sikhs were also collecting food
grains from Sikh homes for the langar. Sometimes they would turn up after us
and both the groups moved together to collect food grains, they from Sikh
households and we from Muslim households.
How were the Grains Delivered?
A few of us went
to Amritsar to deliver the grains contributed. Sikhs in Sangrur, who knew about
the drive, felicitated us and enlisted the help of a local Gurudwara to assist
us. When 10 of us reached the Golden Temple, we were received warmly. Muslims
of Punjab and Malerkotla have been offering Kar Seva at the Golden Temple for
years. But this was possibly the first time that Muslims went from door to door
to collect food grains for the Golden Temple. It generated a lot of goodwill.
Has it Helped or Healed?
The goodwill and
harmony between the two communities is growing. Malerkotla is a Muslim
majority area and the local MLA Razia Sultana is a minister in the Punjab
cabinet. Muslims of Malerkotla are quite well-off and work with Sikhs shoulder
to shoulder.
People on both sides understand the value of
peaceful co-existence. Since news spreads fast these days, Sikhs ,here, were
quick to appreciate when a mosque gave up land in Saharanpur for a Gurudwara. A
Langar put up by Sikhs at Shaheen Bagh by Sikhs was similarly appreciated by
Muslims.
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/doctor-working-for-sikh-muslim-affinity-explains-how-muslims-donated-foodgrains-to-the-golden-temple
We are human beings first and our other identities and religious affiliations should be secondary.
Dr.Gurdeep Kaur
Associate Professor
Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College
University of Delhi
