Muslim bandmasters lead akhada processions for Amrit Snan
As the tent city geared up for the third and last Amrit Snan of the Mahakumbh on Basant Panchami, bandmasters and their groups waited patiently near bonfires set up outside the akhada camps to help them beat the early morning chill.
In a city witnessing the gathering of millions of devotees for the world’s biggest fair of faith, communal harmony and inter-religion amity are on full display.
While lakhs of sadhus, including the revered Naga ascetics, from several akhadas (monastic orders) headed towards the banks of Sangam in the wee hours of Monday for the Basant Panchami Snan, their regal outings were accompanied by musical bands, some of which were led by Muslims.
As the tent city geared up for the third and last Amrit Snan of the Mahakumbh on Basant Panchami, bandmasters and their groups waited patiently near bonfires set up outside the akhada camps to help them beat the early morning chill.
At the Mahanirwani Akhada camp, Mohd Irfan, along with 12 members of his band, was eager to lead the sadhus to a Sangam ghat. “We led the Mahanirwani Akhada during the first ‘Amrit Snan’. This is our second outing with the akhada since Makar Sankranti as the stampede on Mauni Amavasya saw the akhadas keep a low-key affair. We had also accompanied the procession of ‘Nagar Pravesh’ and ‘Chavni Pravesh’ of the akhada,” he said.
In front of the Niranjani Akhada camp, Shamim aka Lallu Master stood with his band members waiting for the sadhus to arrive. “It is a matter of pride for us that we are accompanying sadhus in their pious procession. We have been doing this for years and the saints always call us for these special occasions,” Shamim noted.
Azad Band’s proprietor Mohammad Iqbal Ahmad, whose band accompanied the ‘Chavni Pravesh’ of Niranjani Akhada apart from on the first and third ‘Amrit Snan’, said he considered attending this event a special occasion in his life.
“I believe that I am getting the blessings of Ganga Maiyya (Mother Ganga) and I am very happy to participate in this event. Being a part of a Muslim band in a religious event such as the Mahakumbh is a symbol of unity and goodwill, especially when there are discussions about differences between Hindus and Muslims in the country,” he said.
Bandmasters Naushad and Shamshad of the Great Master Band and Ilu Master of Badi Station Arman Punjabi Bhangra Band also said they were upbeat about the procession.
Head of Akhil Bhartiya Akhada Parishad, the top body of the monastic orders, Mahant Ravindra Puri said Muslim bands were included in the Chavni Pravesh and other processions of the Niranjani Akhada and other monastic orders during the Mahakumbh Mela. He said the contractor who built the mutt of the Parishad in the Mela area was also a Muslim.