Bengal's secular legacy
Bamuha, a village located in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, is home to around 3,000 residents, mostly farmers and labourers. Except for about 300 Muslims, all residents are Hindus. Villagers tried to construct a Durga temple but the construction was stalled in 2015 due to a lack of funds.
The temple committee then approached Zahirul Islam, a contractor from a nearby town well-known for his philanthropy. He had made generous donations to mosques. And when he was approached by the temple committee, Zahirul did not turn them down. He donated Rs 11 lakh. The temple was inaugurated by Zahirul on the auspicious day of Sasthi.
This is my Bengal, where the humanitarian secular legacy of Bangaliana has prevailed for centuries, and which cannot be contaminated by the communal forces that have otherwise plagued most of the country.
Bengal, hopefully, will remain free of all kinds of hatred and intolerance and continue to be a role model of secularism by adhering to the ethos of Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam.
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