Quake relief cements secular fabric - Two communities in hills come together to provide succour to Nepal

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, May 5: Members of Muslim and Hindu communities in Darjeeling have joined hands to collect relief materials for the Nepal earthquake victims, an initiative that attests to the secular nature of the hill society.

An all-religion prayer service will be held at Chowrasta here on Sunday before trucks laden with the relief materials roll out of Darjeeling.

The relief items are collected door-to-door as well as at a centre in Chowrasta. The drive is being organised jointly by the Mahakal Puja Committee and As Salam Welfare Trust in association with Anjuman-E-Islamia, a mosque in Darjeeling.

The Puja Committee takes care of the Mahakal mandir, one of the most-revered places of worship for the Hindus in the hills. On the premises of the Mahakal mandir at the Observatory Hill in Darjeeling, puja is offered both by a Hindu priest and a Buddhist monk.

Deoraj Lama, a senior member of the Puja Committee, said: "We were planning to collect relief materials for the Nepal earthquake victims when we came across members of the As Salam Welfare Trust. We immediately decided to start a joint collection drive and the plan was finalised after a formal meeting."

Lama added: "Through this drive, we want to show that humanity comes before everything. We are really happy with the spontaneous response."

The group started the collection drive three days ago and are storing the goods at Anjuman-E-Islamia hall in Darjeeling.

"We are not collecting cash. We are accepting donations only in kind and given the response from the people, we are hoping to despatch at least 10 trucks (to Nepal) by May 10," said Abdulla Azami, the president of the As Salam Welfare Trust.

The items donated by the people include clothes, blankets, tarpaulin sheets and biscuits.

One of the first donors to the initiative was All India Bhutia Association. The majority of the Bhutias in Darjeeling practise Buddhism.

"We are also being supported by St Robert's School Alumni Association and the Hawkers' union of Orient Line and Mahakal foot market," said Nafis Ahmed, the secretary of the trust.

"This is an attempt to show that everyone is united and ready to help each other in Darjeeling. We are also planning to jointly conduct medical and blood donation camps in the days to come," he added.

Members of both the communities are together carrying loads on heads from the collection centre to the Anjuma-E-Islamia hall to save cost. "Members of the Tibetan Muslim community in Darjeeling have promised to give us a truckload of drinking water. Others are also coming forward to bear the transportation cost," said Ahmed.

Mustaque Usmani, an executive member of Anjuman-E-Islamia, said: "This is a historic initiative for Darjeeling. Members from both the communities can together make a major difference in such relief efforts. We will take similar initiatives in the days to come. The collection drive has also proved that Darjeeling is one of the most secular places around."