Embodiment of communal harmony, national integration

We, at the World Peace Festival Committee of Warangal, attended a unique function held at a small village, Gourayapally of Yadagirigutta mandal in Nalgonda district. It was a marriage reception function which symbolised national integration and communal harmony. We found a rare human being, Raghava Reddy. Srilaxmi is his wife. They are agriculturists. About 20 years ago they had adopted a three-year-old Muslim girl of that village after learning that both her parents had suddenly expired. The entire village appreciated this humane gesture of Mr. & Mrs. Reddy.A Mr. and Mrs. Reddy had taken every care in bringing up this Muslim child as if she was their own, though they already had a son.

The name of this child is 'Farzana'. But people of the village started calling her 'Khazana' as they felt she was God-given wealth. Thus the name stuck as her original name. The way Mr. & Mrs. Reddy brought up the child deserves to be written in rubric. They followed all the traditions and conventions of Muslims in bringing her up. She was brought up according to Islamic traditions; allowed to perform Namaaz every day; was taught Arabic by engaging the services of an Arabic teacher. The child was treated as a family member. She was admitted in a school and she passed her 10th class examinations in First division.

Observing her interest in pursuing higher studies, her "parents" sent to junior college at Yadagirigutta where she passed Intermediate examination too in the first division. She was admitted in a nursing collage and trained as a Nurse and now she is working as a nurse in Hyderabad. Recently, Khazana was married to a Muslim boy in Gourayapally on April 29. The groom, Mr. Rashid, employed in Hyderabad belongs to traditional Muslim family from a nearby village, Masayipeta. The girl endeared herself to the entire village as a 'laadli beti' with her lovable character.

Khazana's brother (the only son of Mr. Reddy) lives in the US. The relationship between the sister and brother is so deep that they talk to each other over phone almost every day. Mr. Reddy arranged a reception (Valima) in the village on April 29 according to Islamic tradition. The entire village was present at the reception. Many guests of the groom from Hyderabad were so happy that a Hindu had arranged a Valima by following Islamic traditions. All invitees paid rich compliments to Mr. Reddy.

When we at the World Peace Festival Committee learnt that such a unique function symbolising national integration and communal harmony was being organised at Gourayapally, all office bearers attended it. A Hindu adopting a three-year-old Muslim child, bringing her up and educating her as his own child is great. Still greater is her bringing up according to Islamic traditions; the greatest part of the whole story is: performing her wedding on Muslim lines.

If such an exemplary act takes place everywhere in India, Hindus and Muslims can live happily forever in this country. Kudos to Mr. & Mrs. Reddy and all the villagers of Gourayapally for standing as embodiments of national integration and communal harmony in a remote village in Nalgonda district. Three cheers to them and wish such secular-minded people thrive and flourish all over India.

On April 29, when Khazana was bidding farewell to the village and going along with her husband to Hyderabad, everybody villager was in grief as though his/her own 'laadli beti' was leaving forever !! Who can say that human relations are deteriorating in this country when one witnesses such elevating scenes? www.ampashayaanaveen.com