Farhan Israeli/ Bhilwara

Some 20 years ago, Durga Kanwar of village Salramla in the Bhilwara district of Rajasthan tied a rakhi (sacred thread) on the wrist of Zakir Hussain Rangrez, taking a Muslim as her brother. The bond only grew stronger with each passing day.

Recently, on the occasion of the wedding of her two daughters, Durga was not allowed to miss her parents, who are no more, as her ‘brother’ and his entire family were there to perform all the social responsibilities and rituals that are the prerogative of parents of a would-be mother-in-law.

Mamu (maternal uncle) Zakir Hussain Rangrez and his family came to attend the wedding and participate in the pre-wedding ceremony of Bhaat for the daughters of Durga Kanwar and Shankar Singh Rao.

The Bhaat ceremony is a pre-wedding ritual in Rajasthan that involves the bride and bridegroom's maternal uncles and aunts. It is a significant part of Marwari wedding traditions. The bride and bridegroom's mothers invite their family members to the wedding. The maternal uncle of the bride or groom visits their home with gifts, sweets, and clothes to mark the beginning of the wedding festivities.

It was a scene to cherish when Zakir Hussain and his family arrived at the wedding venue equipped with drums and trumpets creating a wave of joy and social harmony across the village.

Durga Kanwar and Shankar Singh Rao's family welcomed Zakir Hussain and his family with a shower of rose petals and each member was garlanded, as per the tradition.

Zakir Hussain's family members Haji Hanif Mohammed, Ghulam Nabi, Sheru Mohammed, Piru Mohammed, Aashiq Hussain, Bismil Khan, Farooq Dyer and others also attended the occasion. They performed the ritual of Bhaat with great joy.

Visitors’ joy and their respect for the Hindu customs and traditions were a treat to watch and experience. It was a great show of human bonding over religious differences.

After Durga Kanwar's parents passed away, and as she had no biological brother, Zakir Hussain became her support and gained an even more special place in the family.He had decided to play his role as Uncle to Durga’s daughters for their weddings.

The invitation card for the twin weddings clearly mentioned that Uncle Zakir Husain and his family would “bring the bhaat.”

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Many prominent locals including Thakur Vijendra Singh of Mod Ka Nimbada, Haji Mohammad Hanif, Zakir Hussain, Ghulam Nabi, Sher Mohammad, Piru Mohammad, Aashiq Hussain, Sarpanch representative Bhagwan Mali, Ramzan Mohammad, Riyaz Mohammad was present.