Bappa in mosque: Ganesh festival fosters harmony in Maharashtra village
Sangli (PTI): A village here in Maharashtra has been witnessing a unique Ganesh festival celebration for more than four decades with the installation of the lord Ganesha's idol in a mosque.
Religious tensions elsewhere have never impacted the residents of Gotkhindi village in Sangli district, having a population of nearly 15,000, including 100 families belonging to the Muslim community, a local Ganesh mandal founder, Ashok Patil, told PTI.
Muslims are also members of the mandal. They participate in the preparation of ‘prasad’ (offering), join in prayers and assist in the festival arrangements, the 60-year-old resident said.
The tradition began in 1980 when members of the Hindu and Muslim communities decided to move a Ganpati idol inside a mosque at Gotkhindi village in Sangli district due to heavy rains, he said.
“The practice has continued peacefully since then, and there is active participation from the Muslim community. The New Ganesh Tarun Mandal at Jhunjar Chowk in the village was set up in 1980,” Patil said.
The idol is kept in the mosque for the 10-day celebration and then immersed in a local water body during the culmination of the festival on Anant Chaturdashi.
Once Bakar Eid and Ganesh Chaturthi dates coincided, prompting the Muslims to celebrate their festival only by offering namaz and not ‘qurbani’, Patil said. “They even avoid meat during Hindu festivals,” he added.
“The entire country should take inspiration from the social and religious harmony here,” he said.
Patil said the local police and tehsildar are invited for the ‘pran pratistha’ (consecration) of the Ganesh idol every year.
The 10-day Ganpati festival commenced from August 27 this year.
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Karnataka School Edu Dept prohibits children from being made to dance to obscene songs
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka School Education Department has issued a circular strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs in educational and cultural programmes.
It stated that such dances would negatively impact students' mental health and moral values. It will create indiscipline and harm the sanctity of education.
"All the Deputy Directors (Administration) of the state's School Education Department have been asked to take strict measures to prevent children or students from dancing to obscene songs in all government, aided and unaided schools in the state," the office of the commissioner of the School Education Department said in a recent circular.
"If it is found that children are being made to dance to obscene songs, appropriate action will be taken against the headmaster or management of such school," it added.
The department also listed certain measures in this regard, which include: strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes; selecting songs that are inspiring, positive, instilling national pride in children and reflecting the greatness, dignity, values, culture, and morality of the state.
Stating that the school headmaster and management are responsible for selecting songs and dances for cultural programmes, it said, they should also ensure that students wear decent clothes in dance or cultural programmes.
