Friendship club cuts across religions

AHMEDABAD: Usha Raol, 20, a student, broke many of her ���prejudices' in an unique way. She recently visited her friend, Tah-meena Diwan, 16, at her house in Juhapura, putting all communal differences aside.
In an initiative of communal harmony by Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD), a Vasant Rajab Ali Friendship Club has been formed to bring different communities to-gether.The club will only allow those youngsters who will have to bring a friend from different community.
Vasant Rao and Rajab Ali were friends who sacrificed their life to stop communal riots in Ahmedabad on July 1, 1946. The club will organize activities throughout the year which will bring different communities together.
Raol, a resident of Naroda, has never been to Juhapura or even near it all these years. Raol said, "We see Juhapura in a completely dif-ferent way, but a visit to Diwan's home in Juhapura helped me un-derstand the community in a better way. I also realized whatever other say about each other are not true. It was an eye-opening mo-ment for me. I was received with same warmth and feeling and it was just another home for me."
Likewise, Diwan, 16, visited Raol's home in Naroda. She said, "It was the first time I spent time with a member of another community. I too have been fed up with lot of negative images about each other which really do not have meanings once I entered her home. Hopefully, now I can share my good experience in my community too."
Shabnam Hashmi of ANHAD said, "The existing borderline among the different communities in the society should be abolished. Youngsters need to carry forward the message of love and brotherhood, this is step towards a better future where noone is judged on their caste, class, religion, gender, language and place of origin."
On the occasion, Vinay and Charul of Loknaad sang songs to express feel-ings against injustice and to voice people's agony. Senior social activists, thinkers and academicians also participated in the event.