Ahmedabad, Oct 19 (ANI): The festival of lights, Deepawali, signifying the victory of good over evil is also serving to strengthen communal bonds with Muslim artisans of the city being busy engaged in making of ledgers and calendars for their Hindu customers.
In Jamalpur, an area located in the older part of Ahmedabad, the Muslim artisans are burning the midnight oil to make the ledgers on time for the festival of Diwali.
Hindu traders and businessmen, on the day of Diwali, perform religious rituals with the account books. It is believed that worshipping these newly made account books would bring wealth and is considered auspicious by the business community.
"This festival of Diwali is a festival of communal harmony. Hindus and Muslims celebrate it together. The work we do gives us our daily bread. It does not matter to us whether this work is for a Hindu. This is for all, and we get paid for our labour," said Iltaja Hussain Momin, a Muslim artisan.
Even though in 2002 Gujarat witnessed one of the worst communal riots, in which thousands of lives were lost, Muslim artisans still don't hold any hard feelings towards the Hindu community and pray for their prosperity as well.
"Our work goes on for nine months out of twelve. During, Diwali our workload increases as our sales increase during this festive period. Our traders are all Hindus. We pray to god that their business booms and they are successful. We have no ill-feeling towards them," said Sharif Iqbal Shiekh, another potter.
The account books are laboriously made by the Muslim artisans and are hand-stitched with pictures of the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi on them.
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