Muharram Procession with The Beating of Drums and Music Allowed by Madras HC; Radical Faction of Muslims and Police Had Opposed It
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
New Age Islam
27 July
2024
This year
devotees in Ervadi town in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu who have
traditionally been carrying out the Muharram procession with the beating of
drums and music faced opposition from a Muslim group who did not liked them to
observe the Muslim’s mourning festival with drums and music.
The matter
went to the court and the Madras HC allowed observing Muharram with the music
known as the Santhanakoodu procession and Kuthirai Pancha.
One,
Thameem Sindha Madar had approached the Madras High Court after the Tamil Nadu
administration refused to permit it to observe Muharram with drums and music
after a radical faction of Muslims had opposed it.
The court
overturned the administration decision not to grant permission for the
Santhanakoodu procession and Kuthirai Pancha. The court directed the
administration to provide security for the processions and observed that the
local police were wrong in not granting permission or Muharram procession with
music.
It is
pertinent to note that in Ervadi Town in Tirunelveli District, there is a
Muslin shrine in memory of Saints Hasan and Husain. It is known as Ervadi
Dargha. Apart from this mosque, there are six other mosques in the town.
Further, it was the Ervadi Dargha that has been observing the tradition of
observing Muharram with drums and music.
Here I like
to reproduce my old story – “Hindus observe ‘Allah Festival’ on
eve of Muharram in Tamil Nadu” that published in 2019 which gives a glimpse
how Muharram festival is observed in some parts of Tamil Nadu.
“The residents of Kasanadu Pudu, in Thanjavur
district who are predominantly Hindus except for a handful of Muslims, start
preparation for the Muharram festival ten days in advance. They clean the
vicinity of the Allah temple (Koil) near the public square of the village. They
paint and decorate the Koil with new green flags, flowers and decorative
lights.
On the eve
of Muharram, the Hindu women of the village take out a procession from each
street that ends at ‘Allah Koil.’ They
carry a large pot filled with sweetened water atop their heads with a small pot
over the larger pot that has puffed rice and jiggery inside. Members of the Muslim families also conduct
some rituals and offer puffed rice and jaggery to the Allah Koil.
While women take out the procession with pots,
the men of the village take out another procession with hand symbol with five
fingers, tied to a pole and call it “Five finger Allah.” This is followed by
some carrying four, three, two and single finger symbols. This procession wades
through the entire village and reaches the ‘Allah Koil’ in the end.
As the procession proceeds through the village
streets, residents pay obeisance to the hand symbols from their houses and
those who make vows offer garlands made of lemon and silk towels to the
symbols.
The
procession ends on the 10th Muharram and those holding the finger symbols and
those making vows, observe a fire-walk ritual by walking bare foot on the
burning fire.
With this
activity, the festival comes to a close and the finger symbols are deposited at
the Allah Koil. It will be taken out
again next year for the Allah festival on the eve of Muharram.
The
tradition of the ‘Allah festival’ celebration is quite ancient. A legend has it
that some villagers of Kasanadu Pudu saw a light in the flowing water of Pudhu
Aaru River which passes near the village. A resident found a hand symbol with
five fingers made of metal. Later, he had a dream in which a Muslim saint told
him that he would be residing in this village to bestow his blessings to the
villagers.
As such
this became the reason for ‘Allah festival’ that is celebrated every year
beginning from the first day of Muharram and concluded on the 10th day of
Muharram.
M
Singaravel, a native of the village who works as a health inspector with the
health department said, ‘Allah festival’ is a faith based festival celebrated
by the Hindu residents of Kasanadu Pudu village from centuries. There is an
emotional attachment to the festival as many people’s vows being getting
fulfilled in this festival.
“I had
vowed to offer a silk shawl, if my daughter got a seat in the desired course,”
Singaravel said adding his wish was granted.
Apart from
Kasanadu Pudu village ‘Allah festival’ is also celebrated in a few other
villages including Ko Vallundampattu near Thanjavur. The most fascinating part
of this festival is the excitement with which Hindu families start preparation
for the festival. The natives of the
village working elsewhere make it a point to come to their village especially
to attend the celebration of Allah festival.”
This is a
remarkable story of the survival of little tradition in the country, at a time
when the great tradition of Hindutva is bulldozing all other tradition under
the juggernaut of ‘Jai Sri Ram.’ This
‘little tradition’ of syncretic culture upholds the liberal values of Hinduism
and maintains the communal harmony of the country.
---
Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in
Chennai.
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