Flood affected residents of Ara colony setting example of communal harmony

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Ara: Even as rivers Ganga and Sone are wreaking havoc in Bhojpur district, the flood affected people are showing a perfect example of communal harmony. Blowing of conch and reciting of ‘aayat’ from the Quran are heard in the morning daily simultaneously at a Ara colony, the district headquarters, and no one has any objection to it.

Thirtyfive families live in Dhoora Tola  under Ward No 5 of Ara town mostly Hindus but about a dozen poor muslim families also reside here. This Tola is completely marooned by the swirling Ganga and all the flood affected families are  virtually going without at least once a day. In this situation too, five muslim families have taken shelter in the house of Mohan Kumar beside Siddhnath Temple near Bind Toli under Town police station, Ara. The houses of Anwar Alam, Asfar Alam, Sagir Alam, Parvez Alam, Saiyyad, Kulud, Aslam, Sonu Kumar and Chandan Kumar have been swept away in the flood water. These muslim families are now living with their Hindu brethren in a house and performing their prayers  side by side and too at the same time.

On Shri Krishna Janmaashtami on Thursday, the family members of Mohan Prasad were celebrating the festival with traditional zeal even during natural calamity and Aslam and Bano, daughters of Sageer Alam, are cooperating with Sugandha and Sonam, girls at Mohan Prasad’s house, in their festival.

Mohan Prasad said that these muslim families had taken shelter at his house in 2013 flood too and they lived with perfect communal harmony.