Weaving through the Religion of India

The recent rains had been ultimate relief from the scorching sun and the rising temperatures of Delhi. And to celebrate this beautiful weather, I made our way to Dilli-Haat for some shopping and fun with my cousin. It’s always been a favorite place for both of us to indulge in some shopping of ethnic and traditional stuff from all over India. As being a weekday afternoon, the place was less crowded and the shopkeepers were paying more attention to us in displaying their goods. There were artisans from Lucknow, Banaras, Bhagalpur, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and all the other places known as handloom hub of India. Soon my search for a specific material ended on the stall of Bhagalpur known for its silks sarees and dress materials. It caught my attention specifically due to the seller’s religion. As most of the shopkeepers here are belonging to one family, this particular shop had a Pundit and a Muslim as their owner which is not only unusual but rare. The place Bhagalpur reminded me of Hindu/Muslim riots during the nineties. As the bond between the two shopkeepers seems apparent, I just couldn’t hold myself from asking the reason behind. The reply which come was more of a comfort then surprise as they told “Yeh toh sab siyasi chal hai, nahi toh hindu muslim ek saath hi hai, ek kapda banata hai toh dusra karigari karta hai, ek ke bina dusre ka kaam nahi chalta” (these are political tricks, otherwise hindu and muslims live together in peace. One makes the cloth and the other does work on this cloth. They can’t do without each other) The neighboring stalls of Gujarat and Lucknow supported this statement by saying “Ek taana hai to dusra baana, kisi ke bina na kapra na kaam” (they both are like horizontal and vertical weaves that makes a cloth)
I wonder that if this simple fact is understood by every Indian (including Politicians) than definitely India will be shining as a colorful vibrant weave of various religions living in harmony together.