Roza cements bond between Hindus and Muslims in Lucknow

LUCKNOW: Faith is a great unifier and this city offers its classic example every Ramzan when hundreds of Hindus fast like their Muslim brethren for purification of the body and soul.
Prashant Shukla (24), a mobile company executive from Gomtinagar, has been a rozedar for eight years now, having started the practice in 2011 when paralysis had left his mother bedridden.
"A friend of mine advised me to keep the fast, pray to Allah and visit a dargah. Call it anything you will, but my mother's health improved ever since I started keeping roza. She can walk around the house now," he said.
In what is seen as the enduring Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of this city, Hindu rozedars uphold the quintessential communal harmony in Lucknow.
Atul Keshav Rawat, a Kashmiri pandit and teacher by profession, performs Ramzan rituals with as much dedication as those during Navratra when Hindus fast for nine days. "I have been a rozedar for the past six years. It brings inner peace," the 32-year-old said.
Like Muslims, Rawat's day begins with sehri (pre-dawn meal) and prayers. "I come from a family that believes God has no religion, except for the one that ensures common good," the resident of Hussainganj added.
Animesh Singh of Krishnanagar echoed similar sentiments. The 31-year-old began keeping fast after an iftar visit to Jama Masjid in Delhi. "It was magical! I saw hundreds of people pray together, irrespective of class, creed, colour or religion," he said and added, "It has been three years now and I feel very happy within."
(With inputs from Aditi Yadav)