NEED AN EMETIC? HERE'S ONE . . . Muslim craftsmen beautify Ganesh idol Prachi Jatania CNN-IBN Sunday, August 27, 2006 http://www.ibnlive.com/news/muslim-craftsmen-beautify-ganesh-idol/19839-3.html
STANDING TALL: The artisans deftly etch the 42-ft Ganesh idol with plastering. Hyderabad: Sayyed Yusuf is among the half-a-dozen Muslim workers who've traditionally been involved in making idols for Hindu festivals. For decades, craftsmen like Yusuf have been using their skills to set the stage for the festivities by adding their artistic touch to everything - from brushstrokes to setting up the backdrop. Their latest work of art was the 52-year-old Khairatabad Ganesh pandal in Khairatabad. For them, it is the art that brings joy that transcends the confines of any specific religion or community. "Yeh toh kala hai, mazhab ka koi sawaal nahin hai. Aur humein sabhi dharmon ki izzat hai, (This is a work of art for me. The is no question of religion and we respect all religions)," says S Yusuf. The artisans deftly etch the 42-ft Ganesh idol with plastering and painting myriad colors on the two accompanying idols. The moulding and smearing required 1,200 bags of plaster of paris with 80 craftsmen working round-the-clock to ensure each idol is aesthetically carved. The ten-day festival has members of the minority community, from artistes to local residents, enthusiastically pitching in. The celebrations also attracts devotees from across faiths. "Sabhi dharm ke log yahaan aate hai. Sab peaceful celebrations mein bhaag lete hain (People from all religions come here. Everyone participates in the peaceful celebrations)," says Mohammed Ishaq, a devotee. Though the organisers are not comfortable discussing this festival in a communal context, they do take pride in the secular nature of this pandal and believe that it helps maintain communal harmony in the area. "We have artistes who are Muslims. It doesn't matter what faith they are from. They work together as a team," says Sudarshan, the chief organiser. Ganesh festival is known to attract mass participation of people from across communities. In keeping with this spirit, the Khairatabad pandal is building bridges among religions in an effort that's truly secular. http://www.ibnlive.com/news/muslim-craftsmen-beautify-ganesh-idol/19839-3.html *************************************************************************** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recommended: http://www.ikhwanweb.com http://www.islamonline.net http://www.islam-guide.com http://www.prophetmuhammadforall.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
