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Saw this article while on another forum,worth sharing..apologies if already posted here.
HRIDAYPUR: Communal clashes erupt in Deganga, North 24-Parganas, and the Army has to be called out to bring the situation under control. Several hundred kilometres away, in Uttar Pradesh, tension brews over the Ayodhya mandir-masjid verdict. Now cut to the world of Parthasarathi Bose, and you'll find a picture of communal harmony and respect for different religions.
Welcome to Paschim Ichhapur in North 24-Parganas. Located very close to Hridaypur railway station and, significantly, less than 25 km from Deganga, this locality in Barasat houses a mosque that has been looked after by a Hindu family for decades. What's more, Parthasarathi now plans to give the mosque a new look and turn it into an architectural marvel.
Parthasarathi, who lives close to the mosque and works in Kolkata at a celebrity management firm associated with Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is busy giving shape to his dream right now. Explaining the aesthetics of a design for the proposed building prepared by a Park Circus-based architect free of cost to Akhtar Ali, who has been associated with the mosque for some time, he even finds it hard to answer calls on his phone. For, he wants to devote all his attention to the project.
Parthasarathi's family got the mosque as part of an exchange deal with a Muslim family way back in 1964. The Boses had some property in Khulna ( Bangladesh), which they gave up in exchange for the mosque. Since then, the family has looked after the shrine, which is locally known as the Amanati masjid.
"The mosque was in a dilapidated condition. In the first phase of its renovation, we found some artefacts during digging work. Though we belonged to a different community, we couldn't have neglected the mosque. History has to be preserved. Since then, we have tried to take proper care of the mosque. Now, my elder son has got emotionally attached to the shrine and has prepared an ambitious plan for it. He has started work on the boundary wall," said Dipak Bose, Parthasarathi's father. It was the senior Bose who taught Parthasarathi the value of respecting other religions.
While the family has looked after the upkeep of the mosque all these years in every possible manner, locals, too, have contributed to the shrine's renovation initiated by the senior Bose about 20 years ago by providing building materials. And, as far as the ongoing project is concerned, Parthasarathi is determined to fund it from his own pocket and doesn't want to take help from others.
Showing a diagram of the proposed design to Ali, Parthasarathi says: "Bhai, see these two minarets. I thought one should be on the southern side while the big clock could be placed at the gate. It's good, isn't it? What's your opinion?"
Amazed by Parthasarathi's devotion to the cause, Ali says: "Majhe majhe dhonde pori, bhabi o ashole ki Hindu na Musalman (sometimes I get confused; what is he a Hindu or a Muslim)?"
Some people have tried to seize control of the mosque in the past, but the Boses have thwarted their attempts successfully. Says Parthasarathi: "We had to face trouble when some people wanted possession of the mosque. But we stood firm and did not allow that to happen. We couldn't have allowed people with vested interests to take control of the shrine, which is the pride of this locality."
Parthasarathi is not too bothered about the Ayodhya verdict despite the tension elsewhere in the country. He doesn't consider members of any community to be a "threat". Rather, it's the politicians who misguide ordinary people. he feels. "Maoists and goons backed by political parties do not belong to a particular community. But they are killing our own people every day," he says. "I don't know what the verdict will be but I believe truth shall prevail, no matter how bitter it is."
"I told my wife and mother that half of my earnings will be used to create the mosque of my dream," signs off Parthasarathi.
Read more: Giving shape to a secular dream - The Times of India Giving shape to a secular dream - The Times of India
HRIDAYPUR: Communal clashes erupt in Deganga, North 24-Parganas, and the Army has to be called out to bring the situation under control. Several hundred kilometres away, in Uttar Pradesh, tension brews over the Ayodhya mandir-masjid verdict. Now cut to the world of Parthasarathi Bose, and you'll find a picture of communal harmony and respect for different religions.
Welcome to Paschim Ichhapur in North 24-Parganas. Located very close to Hridaypur railway station and, significantly, less than 25 km from Deganga, this locality in Barasat houses a mosque that has been looked after by a Hindu family for decades. What's more, Parthasarathi now plans to give the mosque a new look and turn it into an architectural marvel.
Parthasarathi, who lives close to the mosque and works in Kolkata at a celebrity management firm associated with Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is busy giving shape to his dream right now. Explaining the aesthetics of a design for the proposed building prepared by a Park Circus-based architect free of cost to Akhtar Ali, who has been associated with the mosque for some time, he even finds it hard to answer calls on his phone. For, he wants to devote all his attention to the project.
Parthasarathi's family got the mosque as part of an exchange deal with a Muslim family way back in 1964. The Boses had some property in Khulna ( Bangladesh), which they gave up in exchange for the mosque. Since then, the family has looked after the shrine, which is locally known as the Amanati masjid.
"The mosque was in a dilapidated condition. In the first phase of its renovation, we found some artefacts during digging work. Though we belonged to a different community, we couldn't have neglected the mosque. History has to be preserved. Since then, we have tried to take proper care of the mosque. Now, my elder son has got emotionally attached to the shrine and has prepared an ambitious plan for it. He has started work on the boundary wall," said Dipak Bose, Parthasarathi's father. It was the senior Bose who taught Parthasarathi the value of respecting other religions.
While the family has looked after the upkeep of the mosque all these years in every possible manner, locals, too, have contributed to the shrine's renovation initiated by the senior Bose about 20 years ago by providing building materials. And, as far as the ongoing project is concerned, Parthasarathi is determined to fund it from his own pocket and doesn't want to take help from others.
Showing a diagram of the proposed design to Ali, Parthasarathi says: "Bhai, see these two minarets. I thought one should be on the southern side while the big clock could be placed at the gate. It's good, isn't it? What's your opinion?"
Amazed by Parthasarathi's devotion to the cause, Ali says: "Majhe majhe dhonde pori, bhabi o ashole ki Hindu na Musalman (sometimes I get confused; what is he a Hindu or a Muslim)?"
Some people have tried to seize control of the mosque in the past, but the Boses have thwarted their attempts successfully. Says Parthasarathi: "We had to face trouble when some people wanted possession of the mosque. But we stood firm and did not allow that to happen. We couldn't have allowed people with vested interests to take control of the shrine, which is the pride of this locality."
Parthasarathi is not too bothered about the Ayodhya verdict despite the tension elsewhere in the country. He doesn't consider members of any community to be a "threat". Rather, it's the politicians who misguide ordinary people. he feels. "Maoists and goons backed by political parties do not belong to a particular community. But they are killing our own people every day," he says. "I don't know what the verdict will be but I believe truth shall prevail, no matter how bitter it is."
"I told my wife and mother that half of my earnings will be used to create the mosque of my dream," signs off Parthasarathi.
Read more: Giving shape to a secular dream - The Times of India Giving shape to a secular dream - The Times of India
