Till the Last Day of My Life

By Rajan Mahan, "A firest: Ajmer girl fires Ramzan canon" - NDTV - New Delhi, India
Sunday, September 21, 2008

During the month of Ramzan, Rozas or fasts are traditionally broken through a variety of signals, ranging from the lighting of a lamp to the sound of special sirens.

At the Ajmer dargah, a canon is fired. Ever since Mughal emperor Akbar donated it, the canon has been fired by men, but a young girl has now broken this male bastion and fires the canon daily.

Experts say that her whole-hearted acceptance by the dargah community reflects the liberal legacy of the Sufi dargah, a legacy that supports equality for women.

At first glance, Fauzia Khan, who fires the canon, seems an ordinary girl. She signals the time for Sehari and Iftari at the Ajmer dargah.

Fauzia is thrilled at breaking the male monopoly. "I feel proud that I am the first woman who has fired this canon and that too at the age of just 22. I want to carry on this duty till the last day of my life," said Fauzia.

After her father suffered a heart attack a decade ago, Fauzia took up the family duty and by firing the canon throughout Ramzan, she is now a role model for many girls in Ajmer."When we see her, we feel inspired that we can also become anything from a pilot to an engineer," said a local girl.

Remarkably, people in Ajmer and the Khadims, the traditional custodians of the dargah, have readily accepted a girl, performing a duty earlier reserved for men. In many mosques, women are not allowed to even pray at the same time as men. But at the Ajmer dargah, a special courtyard, the Begami Dalaan, enables women to pray at all times. It is a sign of the liberal vision of this Sufi shrine.

"Women have freedom to pray or move about in every part of this dargah, not just today but from the very start. That is why the dargah has appointed a girl to fire the canon and nobody has raised the slightest objection about her," said Irfan Rizvi, senior Khadim, Ajmer dargah.

A few years ago, conservatives wanted to ban women from this Sufi centre at the time of Namaz, claiming that they distract men. However, the dargah's liberals refused to curb women who continue to flourish with full freedom.

As in many other religions, women's struggle for greater spaces within Islam has been a rather uphill task. But with a young girl carrying on a crucial canon tradition that is continued since the medieval era reflects the liberal ethos, which is not just preached but also practised at the Sufi shrine.

[Watch this article as a 2' 20"-minute video at this link http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/videopod/default.aspx?id=39188].