An innovative way to convey the message of Juma
By Abu Namara
With an evident object to disseminate the egalitarian message of Juma, particularly the one of Ramadan, students of a Jodhpur-based minority institution used human chain as their medium of expression.
Yesterday, the students of Firoz Khan Memorial Girls Senior Secondary School assembled in the play ground of the school and lined up to form a figure “Juma Mubarak” to put across their compliments on the eve of the 3rd Friday of the current month of Hijrah calendar, Ramadan.
Ramadan is widely acknowledged as a month that denotes spirituality, humanity and peace in human life and has been rightly chosen by the girls of the school to externalize these qualities through their human chain.
The human chain they arrayed together effectively underlines the values of fraternity, equality, orderliness and cooperation, which the line ups of Friday prayers effectively represent. The beeline of the figure comprised all the students of the institution, both Muslim and non-Muslim.
Apart from fasting and prayers, the month is known to inculcate the spirit of caring and sharing among the believers and teach to line up as one organic whole of human beings, all standing in one row; may be a king or a slave, a billionaire or .a wretched one, a learned or a layman; all alike in a shoulder-to-shoulder arrangement.
On this occasion the school principle Shamim Shaikh addressed to the students and said, “Fasting is an essential part of Islamic teachings. It relieves the performer from debilities and makes one’s health sound and avid. The wealthy believers are made to share their riches with fellow human beings.”
The incharge of the event and a teacher of the school, Reena Goyal, congratulated the girls and their families on the eve of 3rd Friday of the holy month and advised the students to uphold humanity ever high and abstain from anything that could harm human well being. She was assisted by her colleagues Kavita Dabi, Mohit Rathor, Pinky, Laxmi Bhati, Rukhsana, Nikhat Mirza, Manju Bhati, Shabnam Jahan, Humaira and Kiran.
The school run under Marwari Muslim Educational and Welfare Society, Jodhpur, in a posh locality Kamla Nehru Nagar, innovatively thought to teach a few great lessons of the holy month to its students and also to broadcast the underlined message to one and all. This Society was established in 1927 by the erstwhile king of Jodhpur state, Maharaja Gaj Singh, to promote education in his Muslim subjects and since then it provides yeomen service to the cross-sections of society including Muslims. Now, the Society is also running a minority university, the first in Rajasthan, bearing the name Maulana Azad University, Jodhpur.