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- May 22, 2015
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AHMEDABAD: In a city known for well-marked ghettos that have only expanded with every Hindu-Muslim riot, harmony resides in Zalak Apartments.
This dilapidated complex of 50 flats is the lone abode of Hindus in Juhapura, one of the largest Muslim ghettos in Asia, inhabited by nearly 4.5 lakh residents.
About 35 families occupy these flats on the Muslim-dominated side of the 'border' — a road that divides Juhapura from Hindu-dominated Vejalpur. Amity flows from the public tap outside Zalak, where Hindu and Muslim women fill water while exchanging pleasantries.
Homes in Zalak were vandalized in the violence that erupted after the demolition of the Babri Majid in 1992. Mobs had attacked Zalak and looted it to the last gas cylinder and stray utensil. That was when the first police picket was established outside Zalak. Ever since, peace has prevailed. There have been no major attacks here even when Gujarat turned into a communal cauldron in 2002.
"Life is peaceful here. We live in harmony just like the people of any other neighborhood," says Vimla Yadav (53) who had moved into Zalak as a bride from UP. "Sometimes, peace is disrupted only when fights break out over petty issues."
Yadav recalls that her family left Zalak for two-odd years after the 1992 attack but returned as this was their only home. She says the family left again in 2002, but only on the insistence of their relatives. "We returned after a few days," says Amita, Yadav's daughter-in-law.
Gajendra Patel, a native of Rajasthan, rented a flat at Zalak two years ago. Patel, who works as a driver, says he fails to fathom the fuss. "What is the big deal for a Hindu to stay here? We have Muslim friends who are supportive of us," he says.
Aslam Qureshi, a garment trader, who stays in a building near Zalak, says whenever there is communal tension in the city, people of the area ensure that residents of Zalak aren't touched.
The safest Hindu abode in Ahmedabad lies in Muslim ghetto - The Times of India
This dilapidated complex of 50 flats is the lone abode of Hindus in Juhapura, one of the largest Muslim ghettos in Asia, inhabited by nearly 4.5 lakh residents.
About 35 families occupy these flats on the Muslim-dominated side of the 'border' — a road that divides Juhapura from Hindu-dominated Vejalpur. Amity flows from the public tap outside Zalak, where Hindu and Muslim women fill water while exchanging pleasantries.
Homes in Zalak were vandalized in the violence that erupted after the demolition of the Babri Majid in 1992. Mobs had attacked Zalak and looted it to the last gas cylinder and stray utensil. That was when the first police picket was established outside Zalak. Ever since, peace has prevailed. There have been no major attacks here even when Gujarat turned into a communal cauldron in 2002.
"Life is peaceful here. We live in harmony just like the people of any other neighborhood," says Vimla Yadav (53) who had moved into Zalak as a bride from UP. "Sometimes, peace is disrupted only when fights break out over petty issues."
Yadav recalls that her family left Zalak for two-odd years after the 1992 attack but returned as this was their only home. She says the family left again in 2002, but only on the insistence of their relatives. "We returned after a few days," says Amita, Yadav's daughter-in-law.
Gajendra Patel, a native of Rajasthan, rented a flat at Zalak two years ago. Patel, who works as a driver, says he fails to fathom the fuss. "What is the big deal for a Hindu to stay here? We have Muslim friends who are supportive of us," he says.
Aslam Qureshi, a garment trader, who stays in a building near Zalak, says whenever there is communal tension in the city, people of the area ensure that residents of Zalak aren't touched.
The safest Hindu abode in Ahmedabad lies in Muslim ghetto - The Times of India
