‘Eid and Hindu-Muslim Brotherhood’
Eid-ul-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, is not just a festival for Muslims but a testament to India’s pluralistic ethos, where Hindu-Muslim brotherhood shines brightly. Across the country, stories of shared joy, temples distributing sweets to Eid prayer participants, Hindus joining Muslim neighbours for sehri, and communities organising joint iftar gatherings reflect deep-rooted harmony. Historically, India’s syncretic culture has fostered mutual respect. Kabir’s verses, Akbar’s Din-i-Ilahi, and solidarity with Mahatma Gandhi during the Khilafat Movement exemplify shared values of compassion and unity. Today, this legacy continues. In Varanasi, priests extend Eid greetings; in Hyderabad, Hindus donate to Eid feasts. Such acts defy divisive narratives, proving that faiths can coexist without erasing identities.
However, this brotherhood isn’t merely sentimental; it’s a socio-political necessity. In polarised times, Eid becomes a counter to intolerance. When a Rajasthan village rebuilt a mosque vandalised by miscreants, or when Mumbai’s Ganpati mandaps host Eid milan programmes, they are models of restorative justice. Economist Amartya Sen argues that India’s strength lies in its “argumentative tradition”, where dialogue, not domination, sustains democracy. Eid, thus, transforms into a metaphor for pluralism. Yet, challenges persist. Political weaponisation of religious identities and economic disparities often strains relations. The solution? Civil society must amplify grassroots initiatives like Raghurajpur’s Hindu-Muslim artisans crafting Eid cards together, and education must highlight composite culture. As philosopher Ramchandra Gandhi noted, “Unity isn’t uniformity.” True brotherhood celebrates differences while embracing shared humanity. This Eid, let’s honour the unsung heroes: the Hindu tailor stitching Eid clothes, the Muslim farmer donating Diwali sweets, and recommit to the Constitution’s promise of fraternity. For in India’s diversity lies its democracy’s durability.
Chandan Kumar Nath
Sorbhog, Barpeta
Break English jinx
For long we have seen that Team India’s overseas tours have not been successful (of course they won consecutively in the 2020-21 and 2022-23 series). In international cricket, India is known to be a lion on home turf but a lame team away from home soil. The recent Border-Gavaskar series played in Australia was not an exception. Once again Team India will embark on an English summer tour this June to play a five-test-match series. We expect that Team India will break the jinx. We are now the masters of ODI and T20 format, so our next challenge should be to master the ultimate test of cricket i.e. Test Cricket.
Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,
Guwahati.
Assam’s small tea growers
Today, the tea industry of Assam plays a very important role in the state as well as the national economy in terms of revenue and employment. It also occupies a vital position in the global economy. Assam's tea production has been earning revenue of more than Rs 5,000 crore annually as agricultural income, and the figure is expected to grow in the form of income tax share and export duties from the Centre. It now opens doors of golden opportunities for the state's small tea growers to come forward to step up tea production and elevate the quality of tea. The Sunday, March 30, editorial titled 'Empowering tea growers' has rightly said that it was the state's hard-working, sincere and dedicated small tea growers who challenged the big tea corporation and set an example by meeting the 1000 million kg of tea per annum target of the Government of India within less than a decade of the Centre's appeal to the tea industry. But there is no room for complacency. In the wake of the fast-changing global tea scenario and rapid climate change problems, our small tea growers should take advantage of a series of programmes initiated by the Tea Board to continue their capacity-building movement across the state in full steam despite challenges. The role of Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) in handholding the small tea growers with a special focus on regenerative agricultural practices is indeed praiseworthy. Our motto to protect the environment and enhance the small tea growers income through the production of healthy and safe tea products should never go extinct, as tea is the second-largest drink consumed worldwide after water. We must not also forget the fact that once a tea plant is planted, it ensures production for a minimum of 50 years. Why, then, should we delay? Let's come ahead and engage ourselves as proud small tea growers of Assam to strengthen the economy of the state.
Iqbal Saikia,
Guwahati.
