Club at Tripura-Bangladesh border promotes peace and harmony amid communal violence in neighbourhood

Way backmost successful 1959, a radical of schoolchildren and young adults—Md Malek Miah, Sahadeb Bhowmik, Shyamlal Das, Nandulal Chouhan, Saruj Khan—founded the club. Today, Nandulal and Shyamlal are the past surviving founders, some successful their precocious eighties but inactive actively engaged successful assemblage efforts.

“We aimed to make a assemblage wherever we could enactment together, lend to the improvement of our country and the nation. So, wherefore not bash our part? And who doesn’t cognize foundation begins astatine home!” Chouhan explained however they came to recovered the club.

The club’s inaugural Durga Puja was held a twelvemonth aft its formation, funded by a corporate effort to drawback and merchantability food from a section pond.

Sabita Akhter and locals successful puja pandal. (Express photograph by Debraj Deb)

“We raised Rs 2,500 for the puja, with the idol provided by a person who built it for free, and got immoderate funds from ceramic fields from the adjacent clip onwards. Subscription fees were initially acceptable astatine 8 anna oregon a rupee,” helium recalled. Today, the nine inactive accepts contributions arsenic debased arsenic Rs 20.

“People donate what they can. We perceive of issues with subscriptions elsewhere, but not here. We privation everyone to unrecorded unneurotic and lend to the country. Our religion teaches peace, not hatred,” Nandulal Chouhan stated.

Arghyajit Das, a young entrepreneur from Joydurgapara, said the club’s budget this twelvemonth is Rs 6 lakh, importantly reduced from past year’s Rs 10 lakh due to the fact that of contributions made for flood relief. “We rescued 250 radical affected by the floods and provided them with essentials. We purpose to support the fund debased to debar putting unit connected contributors,” helium said.

Invoking the words of medieval Bengali writer Boruchandidas, the nine caput highlighted the tone of unity, “This nine was formed successful 1959 by Hindus and Muslims. We observe festivals together, with Hindus invited to Eid and iftar parties and Muslims participating successful Durga Puja festivities.”

Pradip Das condemned caller incidents of communal hostility successful Bangladesh. “We unrecorded successful India. Our country should not acquisition specified incidents. Both communities are vigilant to forestall immoderate incitement,” helium said.

Bappajit Khan, grandson of founding subordinate Saruj Khan, emphasised the longstanding contented of communal harmony during festivals. “There is simply a qazi basti of 150 number families. They springiness america afloat enactment for our puja. Dakshin Ramnagar is wholly a slum area. Our nine is close adjacent to the border. Muslim brethren successful our country unrecorded present the most. We observe Eid and Durga Puja unneurotic successful the aforesaid manner,” helium said.

Local residents, including Qazi Shamim Miah, person made nationalist appeals to debar rumour-mongering and support peace. Md Vishaluddin, the club’s bureau caput and a cardinal functionary successful the puja festivities, reiterated the committedness to harmony. “We bash not privation communal disharmony imported from Bangladesh. We impulse radical to refrain from rumours and enactment agreed always,” helium said.

Even erstwhile parts of Tripura including Jirania and Kadamtala person experienced communal tension, Border Golchakkar was peaceful, helium added.

Despite its humble budget, the Jubak Sangha focuses connected supporting section residents with weddings, location repairs, and different assistance. This year, important funds person besides been allocated for flood alleviation efforts, which person go important pursuing devastating floods that near 36 dormant and implicit 150,000 stateless crossed the state.

Women from some the Hindu and Muslim communities actively participated successful the puja preparations.

Sabita Akhter, a housewife and associated caput of the puja committee, called for unity, “Our number members are arsenic progressive successful the puja. We impulse everyone to enactment unneurotic and debar agitation.”

She said immoderate miscreants had attempted to incite communal hostility successful the country erstwhile the puja committee was formed, but the section assemblage successfully thwarted their designs.

Despite the emergence successful vandalism and attacks connected spiritual minorities successful Bangladesh since the autumn of the Sheikh Hasina government, Border Golchakkar remains a beacon of anticipation for communal harmony.