The Fire Cooled Down

THE FIRE COOLED DOWN On February 8, 1993, a seminar took place at the conference hall of Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. The event was organized by the Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies, and its theme was “Religion and Humanitarianism.” Among the speakers was Dr. Bishambar Nath Pandey. In his speech, Dr. Pandey shared some incidents, including the following one: In 1926, a Hindu procession took place in Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh. Led by Swami Satya Dev, the procession was scheduled for a Friday. Around ten thousand Hindus, playing music and shouting slogans, reached the front of the mosque during the Friday prayer. Karamat Hussain was a well-known political activist in the city. He had learned about the procession in advance. As a result, he and about a hundred of his associates arrived at the mosque early. He had beforehand given each of his associates a garland of flowers. When the procession stopped in front of the mosque, he instructed the Muslims to remain completely silent. Then, following a carefully devised plan, Karamat Hussain and his associates exited the mosque and stepped onto the street. They did not ask the procession to change its route or stop the slogans. Instead, they said, “We welcome you.” Saying this, they moved in front of the procession and began garlanding each Hindu. After this, the entire atmosphere changed. The heads of the