National

Warp And Weft Of Harmony

The Benarasi sari ties the Hindus and Muslims of the town together in a glorious pattern

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Warp And Weft Of Harmony
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Indeed, the fact that a majority of Hindus and Muslims here are engaged in some form or other in the silk trade has created a unique economic interdependency, a guarantee for non-violence, especially after the communal riots in 1992-93 that followed the destruction of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya resulted in four days of curfew and huge economic losses. So, as one drives through the crowded localities housing the makeshift factories on the morning of March 8—less than 48 hours after terror struck the city—you hear the looms humming again, signalling a return to normal life.

Elsewhere in the city, outside the heavily guarded and controversial complex that houses the Gyan Vapi Mosque and the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir that sit cheek by jowl, ringed by 500 security personnel, iron barriers and guns, a policeman on duty says, "It is, of course, difficult to predict events. But, I believe that it is the Benarasi sari that is the best guarantor for peace here. It was felt that curfew should not be imposed as local people would not want to cause any disturbance."

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The policeman even alleges that the primary reason why the Mufti of the Gyan Vapi Mosque and the Mahant of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple jointly formed a communal harmony platform in 2005 was to protect the common business and livelihood of the two communities. And he may not be far from the truth.

Sitting in the office of the Madrasa Yatimkhana Mazhar-uloom, the young mufti of the Gyan Vapi Mosque begins by talking about the essential "humanity" and "tolerance" of the Benarasis and the sacredness of this holy city of Hindus with which Muslims—who account for a third of the population— have been associated for long. Then effortlessly, he segues into talk of trade, "The two communities have to work together for the success of the silk business." After all, he emphasises, using a metaphor from weaving—"Yeh to taana baana ka rishta hain (The two communities are bound together like the warp and weft)."

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For those involved in the business, it is indeed very serious. Says Javed Ansari, the young Mayo College-educated son of Mohammad Swale Ansari, a wealthy silk merchant—who was once mayor of the city, "No one here is in favour of any disturbances." His articulate wife, Zeenat, adds, "Those who planted the bombs intended to hit at the financial heart of this city and destabilise its economy."

The Benarasi silk business—the mainstay of the economy of this region, with a turnover of about Rs 100 crore a year—is already under threat from the cheap Chinese silk imports that began in 1995. Hindus and Muslims involved in the production and trade of these magical lengths of prized silk—eulogised in the scriptures of both Hindus and Buddhists, emerging as an art form during the Mughal period in the 16th century and still in great demand during the festive seasons and marriages—can’t afford to allow violence to deal their livelihood a further blow.

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