Shahid Baba Ka Mazar: Untouched by strife

Darpan Singh
Dumraon (Buxar), October 6
SITUATED BARELY a few metres from the place where large-scale violence took place on Wednesday night, the ‘Shahid Baba ka Mazar’ at Dumraon remained untouched all through the turmoil. It has long been known as an ‘oasis of peace’ for the people of this small sub-divisional town. Built in the courtyard of a Hindu house in the early Eighties, this Mazar is an obvious symbol of communal harmony and brotherhood. Though tension is still palpable in the town because of the clashes, a constant stream of devotees from both communities continues to make its way to the Mazar to offer prayer, ‘chadar’ and floral tributes. Incidentally, the two-day-long ‘Urs’ mela organised here on August 5 every year, has always attracted a large number of both Hindu and Muslim devotees. Abhishek, alias Bablu, a local, said, “It (the Mazar) is a perfect picture of communal harmony, so much so that even in these communally charged times, it shows that people of all communities can live peacefully, side by side, if they ignore their religious differences.”Visibly upset over the recent turn of events, he hoped the situation in the town would get back to normal soon. Recalling how the Mazar came to be built, its priest S M Poornam Quadri told Hindustan Times that it “was built after one Kalawati Devi, wife of a timber merchant, Laxman Choudhary, began having dreams of a man and his wife buried somewhere in the southwestern corner of their house.” Kalawati, then suffering from some protracted illness, was also told in her dreams to get the place cleaned. Continuing with the story, Quadri said this forced Laxman to consult various priests and Muslim clerics for a ‘solution’ and, on their advice, he got the southwestern section of his house cleaned and built a Mazar there in 1982. According to popular belief, not only was Kalawati cured, the Mazar’s construction also brought happiness and prosperity to the family. Since then, local people as well as many from distant places have come to the place to offer prayers and seek relief for their problems.