Ram-Rahim Nagar: An oasis of peace in Ahmedabad
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A 21-member peace committee formed in 1969 has held the peace in this slum. Ironically, it is poverty and social stigma that binds these 'low-caste' Hindus and Muslims
In the riot-prone city of Ahmedabad, the Ram-Rahim Nagar slum in the old city is an oasis of peace.
The 20,000-odd residents who barely manage to eke out a living come together every time Hindu-Muslim riots rock the city. At the first sign of trouble, committee members of the Ram-Rahim Nagar Jhopadwasi Mandal abandon everything else to keep the peace. "Our biggest challenge is to keep our youth in check even as we stand guard at the slum's entrance to keep out troublemakers," says Pyarali Kapadia, former president of the committee and unofficial spokesman of the slum-dwellers.
The sexagenarian former employee of the central excise department was among the early residents of the slum who formed the 21-member peace committee in 1969. "The present committee has 11 Hindus and 10 Muslims, while in the last committee the numbers were the other way round," says Kapadia.
According to Ismael Ibrahim Sheikh, vice-president of the Ahmedabad Youth Congress, the slum-dwellers choose "senior, respected, educated people who can understand everything".
The elders' skills were sorely tested during the post-Godhra riots. "Immediately after the train-burning incident we called together all the youth and asked them not to fall prey to outside propaganda," says Kapadia. While Gujarat burned, residents of the slum bided their time till normalcy was restored.
Ram-Rahim Nagar's reputation as an oasis of peace has resulted in the slum's population growing manifold in the past several years. From a little over 700 houses in 1969, the slum now has more than 3,000 houses. While the Muslims are naturally pleased with the security afforded here, a large number of Hindu families have moved in as well.
"Hindus have moved in and are actively taking part in the Quomi-Ekta committee," says Mewabhai Kandhibhai Parmar. Residents say the composition of the once-Muslim-dominated slum has changed to equal members from both communities.
Parmar and Kapadia have a curious take on the residents' co-existing peacefully. "Unlike in other places, only low-caste Muslims and dalit Hindus live here. Since we share the same stigma in society and suffer equally from poverty we have a lot in common," they reason. The community has a mosque, a dargah and six temples in close proximity.
Not surprisingly, fundamentalists of various hues are trying to make inroads. "So far, we have prevented troublemakers from stepping in. Neither the RSS nor fundamentalist Muslim groups have struck roots here," says Sheikh.
The Hindutva groups have, however, redoubled their efforts to find a base here. Residents say groups of RSS activists have taken to passing through the slum after their shakhas. "They taunt the Hindu boys in the slum by throwing bangles at them for not attacking Muslims during the post-Godhra period," says Parmar. According to him, the elders in the slum work hard to stop the boys from joining the RSS and its affiliated organisations.
Sangh Parivar activists themselves admit that they are wooing the Hindu youth of Ram-Rahim Nagar. "We welcome everyone into our fold and our aim is to increase our area of influence," says Haresh Patel, a VHP activist from the Santosh Nagar area that saw large-scale attacks on Muslims. He adds that VHP and Bajrang Dal workers are wooing residents of the slum but refuses to say how many have joined him.
The more pressing fear among residents here is the large-scale unemployment arising from the recent closure of several small textile-processing units. "If fundamentalist groups begin to sponsor jobs and offer money to the boys here then all our efforts will be in vain," says Sheikh.
(This article was part of the series 'Communal Polarisation and Threat to Shared Traditions in India', supported by the National Foundation for India. It first appeared in the Tribune)
InfoChange News & Features, May 2006