Patna, Dec 28 (IANS) In a rare show of communal harmony, dozens of Hindu families in a Bihar village observed Muharram Monday to mourn the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed, and took out a ‘tazia’ (replica of Hussain’s shrine) in a procession.
“We observed Muharram and also took out a tazia procession along with the Muslims,” Lalan Choudhary, a resident of Thepha village in Siwan district, where the procession took place, told IANS by phone.

“It is an old tradition in our village that Hindu families observe Muharram,” he said.

His brother Ramayan Choudhary said that five tazias were built in the village for Muharram.

“Four tazias were built by the Muslims and one by the Hindus to prove that we also mourn martyrdom of Imam Hussain,” he said.

Sita Devi, a Hindu woman who observed a fast, said that in last one decade more Hindu families have been observing Muharram after one ‘miracle’ or another in their lives.

“We strongly feel that god blessed us for observing fast to mourn martyrdom of Imam Hussain,” she said.

Cleric of the village mosque, Shamshul Haque, said: “Hindus observing Muharram sends a message of peace, harmony and brotherhood to others.”

In this village, Muslims and Hindu families participate in each other’s religious functions, he said.