NEW DELHI, Dec 26 (UNI)

Candles, carols and shabads, or Sikh hymns, marked Christmas celebrations at Delhi’s Gurdwara Gobind Sadan of religious leader Baba Virsa Singh last evening. Gobind Sadan aimed to promote inter–faith harmony and peace in the world, Baba Virsa Singh said. Holding all faiths together under one roof propagated the message of God who never differentiates between any of His creatures, he added.

Candlelight and flashing electric bulbs illuminated Gobind Sadan’s courtyard that houses a Jesus statue. Russian singers and Christians presented hymns to celebrate the birth of Jesus as Sikh devotees sang their religious verses at the gurdwara’s auditorium. Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader BL Sharma "Prem" who was baptised a Sikh last year was also present at the function that the organisers called an inter–faith gathering. The Sadan has also proposed to celebrate Eid.

PATNA: In a rare show of religious unity in Bihar, a group of Muslims offered namaaz in the holy month of Ramzan inside a church at Khagaul, near Patna, before savouring the Christmas cake and other delicacies on Tuesday (December 26) evening amid carol singing at what the organisers called a ‘Chris–tar party’.

Organised at Manthan Catholic Church by eminent social activist, Fr Philip Manthara, the Xmas–Iftaar party was, to quote the Christian priest, "Our reply to the present communal crisis of our country."

To add icing to the cake, a good number of Hindu, neo-Buddhists and Bengalis also joined the roza devotees in breaking their day–long fast. This was followed by an interactive session to deliberate on countering communalism. The participants included retired and serving govt. and bank officials, rights activists, scholars and students — both men and women. Many of them belonged to bodies like Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Vahini (formed by Jay Prakash Narayan), Insani Ekta Muhim, All India Progressive Women’s Association and People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).

"Such gatherings are indeed the need of the hour because of the growing fear psychosis among minorities in the country," said Ali Anwar, one of those who offered Ramzan prayers inside the church, while participating in the deliberations. Referring to the attack on churches and killings of Christian priests and missionaries, Mr Anwar, who is also the Pasmanda Muslim Mahaaz (Backward Muslims Front) president, rued that the country’s political leadership had now shed all its inhibitions in advocating the cause of Hindu fundamentalists.

"It’s a step towards unity of all humanity," Fr. Manthara philosophised and blamed "organised form of religions" for the spread of communal hatred in society. "When Jesus Christ was born, it was clear that he had to work for humanity and not against it," he said, and added that the same was the case with Islam. But all the religions gradually became organised and evils crept in, he regretted.

"I have been observing roza for the last 35 years and never before did I attended such an iftaar," stated one participant, while another participant felt that such meetings would not solve any problems. "We secularists should also shun our fundamentalism," said Mr Afzal. To KD Yadav of the CPI-ML, the party was "a step towards sarv dharm sambhav and it should be strengthened."

(The Times of Times, December 28, 2000)