Hindus help rebuild mosque in Karnataka village

HUBLI: As the nation anxiously awaits one mosque verdict, villagers in Karnataka's Gadag district have made their judgment clear as far as their local mosque is concerned. The spirited folk of Purtageri, a village around 500km from Bangalore, dissolved religious lines to come together and rebuild a mosque that was crumbling.

The 50-year-old mosque in this predominantly Hindu village was in urgent need of repair: with heavy rains lashing the region, the bamboo roof leaked. Around 20 Muslims of the village - which has 150 Hindu families - were struggling to pray there. That's when the Hindus laid some solid bricks of communal harmony.

Village elders and the gram panchayat inspected the mosque and realized that rebuilding the roof with reinforced concrete was the only permanent solution. As they began rebuilding the mosque, help both in cash and kind began pouring in.

While cement and slab dealers gave construction material, workers offered to put in free labour. "The villagers volunteered to donate cash ranging between Rs 100 and Rs 1,500," said Shivabasappa Hadagali, a village elder.

Construction work began about a month ago and so far, the renovation has cost Rs 1 lakh. Another Rs 50,000 may be needed. "We're planning to get the mosque ready by mid-December," said panchayat member Lakshmana Gooli.

"Had our Hindu brothers not helped, the mosque would not have got refurbished," said Allasaab Nadaf, a daily wager at a sawmill. "None of the Muslims are involved in the renovation as they are all poor and can't afford to miss even a day's wage."

Hanumant Mushigeri, a first-year BA student in Bhoomaraddi Arts and Commerce College here, said he was proud to come from a village which upholds secularism as much in deed as in words.
Vincent D'Souza, TNN, Sep 28, 2010