[nukkad]

[Mohammed Siddiqui <>]

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The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body 
is different. -Hippocrates, physician (460-c.377 BCE)
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Ahmedabad, January 5: Riots may have ripped apart the secular fabric
   of Gujarat but this story will make you feel otherwise. Over 50 Muslim
   artisans from Kapadwanj are camping at Trimandir on Ahmedabad-Mehsana
   Highway near Adalaj.

   Their task: making domes for the temple. Theyre not the only ones.
   About 20-odd Muslim artisans from Kolkata are also at work in a timber
   godown at Pethapur near Gandhinagar, making pillars and doors for the
   temple.

   The Trimandir, which is being constructed by Bhagwan Dada Panth, has
   idols of Shree Mandhar Swami, Shiv and Krishna.

   Chandbhai Sattarbhai, a worker from Kapadwanj, says: We make a living
   out of building domes for temples. The fact that thousands of devotees
   will come here and offer prayers eggs us on to do our best.

   When I am on the job, Im an artisan and not a Muslim. I respect the
   religion Im working for. I make it a point to remove my slippers when
   I climb the roof to work on the dome. We have been working bare feet
   even when temperatures zoom to 40 degrees, he adds.

   Kalu Mehboobbhai, also from Kapadwanj, says: Weve been working here
   for five months and are staying on the temple premises. We make it a
   point not to cook non-vegetarian food here. This is the third temple
   that Kalu is working on. I am not bothered about whos Hindu and whos
   Muslim. I am satisfied that by working for another religion I get
   money on which my family survives. If our contractors get the job of
   building the dome in Ayodhya, we wont hesitate.

   But when questioned, he said the disputed site should not be handed
   over. Let the Government use it for some other purpose rather than
   building a temple or masjid, Kalu says.

   During the riots, some of us were in Ranip and Rajula, busy working on
   temple parts. The trust that we were working for gave us adequate
   security. The people of the area also came and assured that we need
   not worry, says Rafiq Kalubhai, whos been working here for the past
   two years. Mujiwar Mohammed says: We work for Ajizbhai Rehman from
   Kolkata. Fourteen of us are Muslims and weve never had any conflict
   with Hindu workers.

   Rahul Sen, who has been working on the dome for nearly five years,
   says: I have seen them put in more effort than me. They even follow
   Hindu customs when they are in the temple.

Source:
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=16170 


Siddiqui 
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