In echo of azaan & aarti, a dargah organises janmashtami fair
Jaipur, Sep 3 : A dargah at a village in Rajasthan's Jhujhunu district hosts a unique cultural fair each year on janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, where sounds of 'aarti' and 'azaan' reverberate from the same place.
The abode of Sharif Hazrat Hajib Shakarbarat at Narhat village is known for a grand janmashtami fair where musical dramas, 'qawalis' and short plays mark the occasion. People from Delhi, Haryana and Punjab visit the dargah to become a part of the rare celebration.
Cementing the bond of communal harmony, the dargah accommodates thousands of people each day during the fair.
Younus Pathan, a khadim of the dargah, says the trend of organising the fair on janmashtami goes back to hundreds of years. "Our seven generations have handed us down a common story: people irrespective of their caste and religion, congregate here to celebrate 'Krishna janmotsav' with great zeal and fanfare," says Pathan.
"People keep awake the whole night, dancing and singing. Many cultural programmes are also organized to mark the event," says Pathan.
Sathik Tirgi, former dargah committee president, told IANS that the fair that began on Sunday would continue till Tuesday.
"Qawali singers have also been invited from Mumbai. Their songs will lend a mesmerising touch to the whole event," Tirgi said.
Meanwhile, at 6.45 p.m. it will be time for 'azaan' from the mosque adjoining the dargah. The resonance of the prayer will be enriched by the sound of bells coming from a nearby temple for which it will be time for 'aarti,' Tiragi said.
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Surat LS candidate Nilesh Kumbhani whose nomination form was rejected suspended from Congress
Ahmedabad, Apr 25: The Gujarat Congress on Friday suspended from the party for six years its Surat Lok Sabha candidate Nilesh Kumbhani, whose nomination form was rejected over discrepancies leading to the BJP's Mukesh Dalal getting elected unopposed.
A statement from the Congress said the party's disciplinary committee decided to suspend Kumbhani after thorough discussion, adding it had come to the conclusion that the nomination form was rejected due to gross negligence on his part or "in connivance with the BJP".
"To be fair to you we have given time to you to explain your case but instead of coming before the party disciplinary committee you have gone incommunicado. After your form was rejected by the authorities, BJP went ahead and got form of other eight candidates withdrawn. This has deprived people of Surat their voting rights," the Congress disciplinary committee headed by Balu Patel said.
"People of Surat and party workers have become very angry due to your action and are expressing their anger in different ways. The Congress party has decided to suspend you for six years from the party," the press note said.
Kumbhani's nomination form was rejected on April 21 after his three proposers submitted affidavits to the district returning officer claiming the signatures on the document was not theirs.
The nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress' substitute candidate from Surat, was also invalidated on the same grounds.
In his order, Returning Officer Sourabh Pardhi said the three nomination forms submitted by Kumbhani and Padsala were rejected after prima facie discrepancy was found in the signatures of the proposers and they did not appear to be genuine.
Kumbhani, a former corporator from Surat, had unsuccessfully fought the 2022 Assembly polls from Kamrej there.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's Mukesh Dalal was elected unopposed from Surat Lok Sabha constituency on April 22 after all other nominees, including one from BSP, withdrew from the fray one by one on the last day of withdrawing papers.
