Durga Puja festival in Baripada sends a message of Hindu-Muslim unity

The Durga puja fervour has already gripped one and all across Odisha with puja committees pulling out all the stops to make their respective pandals attractive. While huge and lavish pandals of some committees are turning heads, some other pandals have stood out from others due to one or the other reasons. 

One such puja committee is Tentuladanga Puja Committee in Bairpada town of Mayurbhanj district. Of the several puja committees in the town, the aforesaid puja committee is unique because it sends out a heart-warming message of communal harmony and brotherhood. 

A muslim, Kohinoor Islam has been at the helm of affairs for the last 38 years. Since inspection of the committee, he has been taking the lead in organising the puja. Not only his family members but also members of his community are taking part in the puja, helping removal of distinctions between cast and religion. 

For such gestures, Kahinoor has been lapping up words of appreciation from all quarters of the society. 

“Once we discussed about why our women should go to other pandals to offer puja and why we shouldn’t start our own puja in our locality. Then we decided to host Durag puja in our locality. But the members asked me to take the lead. Since then, I have been known as the founder of this puja committee,” said Kahinoor.