Hindus not only join Muslim neighbours as they break fast in workshops owned by a Gujarati Jain but also prepare delicacies; parishioners of local churches, too, participate
Hindu and Muslim neighbours prepare servings for guests ahead of the evening meal. PICS/NIMESH DAVE
The colours of Holi had not yet faded from the narrow alleys leading to the venue of Saturday’s iftaar, an apt reminder of what lay in store. In “communally sensitive” Malwani, today labelled by BJP leaders MP Lodha and Kirit Somaiya as a “den of illegal Bangladeshis/Rohingyas”, Hindu women had cooked the iftaari for their Muslim neighbours. The venue? Two garment workshops owned by a Gujarati Jain, whose workers participated in the (vegetarian-only) meal. Among the 120 attendees were parishioners from two local churches.
Rashtra Seva Dal member Nisar Ali and his wife, Vaishali Mahadik, who run the Safal Vikas Welfare Trust
This was the seventh such iftaar organised by Rashtra Seva Dal member Nisar Ali, 58, and his wife Vaishali Mahadik, 49, who run the Safal Vikas Welfare Trust, an NGO that has been helping locals since 2008 in a variety of ways, from applying for student scholarships to arranging blood and plasma donation camps during the COVID lockdown. Indeed, most of the women present had met the couple when they’d approached them for help.
Locals reject allegations
(From left) Soma Dey, Anita Kanojia, Siddheshwari Sharma, Ranjana Kanojia, Nisar Ali, Virangana Salve
Malwani, with its estimated 4 lakh population, of whom about 60 per cent are Muslims, has been in the eye of Hindutva ideologues. At a VHP rally held in Malad in December 2022, it was accused of being a hub of “love jihad” and “land jihad”; while Lodha alleged in the Assembly in 2022 that Hindus were fleeing from the area. A Ram Navami procession in 2023, only the second to be held here, sparked off violence. But women living here reject these allegations.
Genesis of event
Malwani residents break their fast at the iftaar organised by the Safal Vikas Welfare Trust on Saturday
In 2019, when some women asked them what exactly iftaar was, the couple invited them over for one. The next year, these women started bringing iftaar essentials such as dates and fruits. To make it more meaningful for them, they were asked to bring something normally made in their homes. “We once held an iftaar in a hall, but the guests just ate and left. The occasion meant nothing to them,” recounted Ali. “That’s why we chose this venue, where people can interact.”
Trust’s activities
(From left) Shalini Sharma, Rekha Kotak, Sharda Khadtare, Kusum Ughde, and Archana Shinde
The Trust holds about 20 programmes throughout the year, ranging from Diwali and Christmas Milans to organising Bakri Eid donations for tree planting or school stationery (from the money set aside for the qurbani); to Valentine’s Day get-togethers for single women and widows; to Constitution Day competitions. Every weekend, they also hold a workshop for students. Interestingly, one of them, Vinayak Khadtare, 14, was among those who broke their fast on Saturday.
Voices
Ranjana Kanojia, housewife
‘No, our families didn’t object to us cooking for Muslims. In fact, my mother-in-law made the sabudana wadas, I fried them’
Siddheshwari Sharma
‘Yes, frying so many karanjis burns up a lot of gas. But if we start to worry about our gas getting over, how will such programmes take place?’
Virangana Salve
‘I never miss a chance to attend Nisar Bhai’s programmes. What impresses me most is that, though a Muslim, he respects all religions. In today’s atmosphere, I like that he works among kids, so that they don’t grow up with hate’
Rekha Kotak
‘I can roam around here even after midnight. Muslims here are so affectionate that I’ve to implore them to please stop sending me sheer korma on Eid’
Archana Shinde, trained nurse
‘I work night shifts, and have never felt unsafe. My daughter, who’s in Std XI, is the writer during exams for her blind Muslim neighbour, who’s in Std XII’
Shalini Sharma
‘Last week, my son’s football landed on a Muslim woman, who started abusing him. Other Muslims intervened to restrain her. That’s the kind of harmony that exists here’
Soma Dey, entrepreneur
‘I live in the very heart of Malwani: Ambujwadi. There is no such Hindu-Muslim problem there. In fact, my eight-year-old daughter can recite the Kalma, the Swami Narayan prayer as well as shlokas from the Gita’
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