Malick Asghar Hashmi

This is the story of Swami Colony, a quintessential middle-class area in Nagpur City where the Hindus and Muslims have lived as good neighbours for decades and their equations remain intact even after a part of the historic city saw rioting and violence.

Located about 7 km from the Nagpur Railway station, the Swami Colony has residents from all major religions living as neighbours, representing a mini India.

The main attraction in this colony is the mutton shops for both Hindus and Muslims. The mutton shops are run by Hindus and have customers from both communities. Interestingly, the meat of lamb and chicken are available in Jhatka and Halal (way of slaughtering), are available here.

Since Muslims do not eat Jhatka, the shopkeepers have employed a Muslim to slaughter as per the Islamic requirements.

Interestingly, there are only two Muslim families in this colony — Ghulam Qadir and Moin Qazi. Qadir has retired from Western Coal Limited WCL, while Qazi from the NITI Aayog.

Ramzan is a special period for the inhabitants of Swami Colony. During this time, Muslims from neighbouring areas also visit the meat shops to buy meat.

Life remained the same even after a procession in which participants were demanding the removal of the tomb of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb passed through the area, and there were incidents like stone pelting and arson reported from other parts of the city.

The procession made no difference to the lives of swami Colony's residents. Ghulam Qadir, who has been living here for the last three decades, says, "People here are very simple and pure-hearted. We never felt that we lived near the RSS headquarters in this city. People here never got caught in Hindu-Muslim disputes."

Moin Qazi says he knew about the riots only when someone called him. Altaf Khan, an old colleague of Qadir, who lives in an area near Swami Colony says, "When I was told about the violence on the phone, I was also surprised. Despite this, I was not worried, and I am living my life comfortably as before."

Residents of Swami Colony, Nagpur, playing Holi

The community of Swami Colony residents feels like a unit as their mutual bonds are strong. They celebrate festivals together, be it Holi or Eid. To make a special day memorable, people even set up tents on the road and organize a community feast on special occasions.

Lately, the residents have started traveling together. They organize Group tours to destinations away from their places through a travel agency.

On these trips, everyone carries a special dish for sharing with others. There is no caste or religious discrimination of any kind here. At mealtime, everyone eats together and respects each other.

Ghulam Qadir says, "I have seen in the last three decades that everyone in Nagpur celebrates festivals together. During Eid, many madrassas in the city host feasts for non-Muslims. This is a symbol of unity, and such events are attended not only by people from the Muslim community but also Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and RSS leaders."

Qadir says that earlier, one of the Fridays in Ramzan coincided with Holi. His was the only Muslim family observing fasting. Then because of him, the people of Swami Colony celebrated Holi after breaking their fast. The only Christian family in the colony also celebrates Christmas with the same enthusiasm.

He says the residents discuss all matters - religion, caste, politics, etc. but the arguments have never caused friction in social relations. "It's rarely that we discuss current affairs but when we do it's always a healthy discussion."

On such occasions, Qadir's neighbor Kishore Nagalkar says jokingly, "You don't worry. The rioters will have to deal with us first, not you."

It's interesting to note that it was from Nagpur;s Jaffar Mosque  that the Muslim clergy started the "Know your Mosque" programme. It seeks to break barriers by inviting non-Muslims to local mosques for a visit. Visitors are encouraged to ask questions related to Islam, Muslims, and the mosque.

This initiative promotes understanding between religions and communities and gives people a chance to understand each other's points of view.

The people of Swami Colony are shocked that despite this peaceful atmosphere, violence broke out. Qadir and others believe that "riots' were part of a deep conspiracy to create misunderstandings among the people.

ALSO READ: Nagpur people rise to foster peace and heal scars of violence

The residents feel that this violence was a mischief. They wonder why Hanga Mahal - the border area of ​​Muslim and Hindu populations - was chosen for unleashing violence. At the same time, no one has ever thrown even a stone in Muslim-dominated areas like the Taj Colony, Mominpura, and Peeli Nadi.