BY SHARAT PRADHAN

March 9, 2006

Varanasi: Two days after twin terror blasts here claimed 15 lives, this ancient Hindu holy city is maintaining
its communal calm, proving to the world why it is known as a hub of spirituality. The common man in Varanasi, while stunned, has belied apprehensions that Tuesday’s explosions at the 16th century Sankat Mochan temple and a railway station would vitiate the atmosphere here.

Life was returning to normal here Thursday (March 9). The crowds were back on the city’s narrow roads and labyrinthine by-lanes. Shops, hotels and restaurants opened earlier than usual to make up for lost business during Wednesday’s strike by some Hindu right wing groups to protest the explosions that also left over 100 people injured.

"Politicians and perhaps even some TV channels left no stone unturned to incite communal violence in this peace-loving city," observed 65-year-old Mahendra Tanna, a seller of motor lubricants. "I give full credit to people here for maintaining utmost calm even after they had been badly hurt by the act of terrorists," he said.

Asked what stopped people from giving in to religious frenzy, he said: "Violence occurs when there is anger. The blast at the Sankat Mochan temple, which is highly revered by most of us, caused more pain than anger." What seems to have surprised outsiders more than locals is the resilience of the city despite much tension in the air and the efforts of some political parties to provoke disharmony.

Vinay Katiyar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rabble-rouser and leader of the Hindu right wing Bajrang Dal, sat on a demonstration at the Sankat Mochan temple on Thursday.

"This dharna is against increasing Islamic terrorism in the country," Katiyar told media persons as hundreds of his supporters blew conch shells amidst cries of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in the open quadrangle of the temple complex.

But the masses hardly seemed to respond. Young restaurant owner Abhay Pratap Singh said: "Gone are the days when any act of terrorism would be linked to every Muslim on earth. Muslims have themselves realised that they are as much a target of terrorists as Hindus." He was also confident that the people of Varanasi would not fall prey to the designs of vested interests trying to disturb the peace of the city. "I think the administration should not have allowed Vinay Katiyar to stage a dharna. These are the kind of incidents that incite communalism."

A day earlier, Muslims had voluntarily closed their shops and commercial establishments and unequivocally condemned the blasts.

"There is nothing Hindu-Muslim about this. It was an act of terrorism and all Muslims of this city condemn the incident," said Alameen Society of India president Pervez Qadir Khan.

He personally went around Muslim localities and urged people to cooperate with the strike and maintain communal harmony.

Bharat Kumar, an automobile dealer, praised local Muslim leaders. "We must also hail local Muslims for extending full cooperation in making Wednesday’s bandh a success." He added: "Sure enough, all Muslims are not bad and all Hindus are not good."

(Courtesy: yahoo.com (Indo-Asian News Service).)