Saffron hue on Muslim Fakirs

By Pankaj A Jaiswal - Hindustan Times - Lucknow, India

Thursday, October 12, 2006

THERE IS another side of the picture of Hindu-Muslim unity that meets the eye.As you reach the gate of the sanctum sanctorum at Dewa Sharif, the venue of the ongoing annual Kartik Mela, you see two persons, one in white ‘kurta-pajama’ and ‘namaaz topi’ (prayer cap) and the other in a saffron robe, walking together towards the ‘dargah’(mausoleum). As they reach the steps of the shrine, both bend and touch the marble steps as a mark of respect.
You are impressed by the harmony of different creeds, but the fact is that the ‘sadhu’ clad in saffron is not a Hindu—just another Muslim dressed in saffron!

When this correspondent spoke to a ‘chaadar’-seller, one discovered that a number of Muslim fakirs here dress up in a garb that is associated with Hindu sadhus.
In another corner of the dargah, you find another sadhu…no, fakir. Besides the saffron robes, this mendicant with disheveled salt-pepper hair and beard also sports ‘khadaus’ (wooden slippers) the kind you find under the feet of Hindu seers. He identifies himself as Muqammil, native of a village in Hardoi. He is as if in a trance and only mumbles the unfathomable.

The shrine of Haji Waris Ali Shah attracts pilgrims of all religions throughout the year. During the mela there is a rush of devotees from all over the State, the country and from even Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Gulf and European countries.

Secretary of the Haji Waris Ali Shah Mausoleum Trust, Ghulam Waris Khan, says: “Except for Sikhs and tourists from western countries, it is often difficult to identify people by their religion here.”

“Haji Waris Ali Shah was a Sufi saint of eminence. He was Vedic scholar and as much a Muslim fakir as a Hindu sadhu. He appealed to people of different religions not to abjure any faith and advised them to follow their respective religion with zeal and sincerity. Born in the first quarter of 19th century, he came from a family of Hussaini Syeds. He was the first Sufi saint to have crossed seas and visited Europe. He traveled extensively to many parts of the world. He performed three pilgrimages to the Mecca in saffron robes. He liked to wear saffron robes for the serenity of the colour,” said Khan.

People say Dewa has never witnessed any communal clash or even undercurrents of friction between people. Even in the wake of the Babri Masjid demolition and riots that followed in rest of the country, people of different communities here stayed together in peace.