Urs at Juni Gadi Dargah blurs communal lines

The colouring and tiling work of the Dargah is taken care of by the Hindu members of the committee — Rajesh Salgaonkar and Harshad Patni — while Muslim members prepare for the ritualistic celebrations. The Dargah, which bears testimony to “fulfilled wishes” of many a devout worshippers of all faiths, has been patronised by many politicians across parties including former Vadodadra BJP MP Balkrishna Shukla, who also attended the Urs celebrations in 2014.

Every year, devotees offer Niyaz that runs into lakhs of rupees in the locality. Gadinasan Haji Dastagir Shaikh, the Khadim of the Dargah, said, “There are people who follow radical ideologies and create much discord among communities, but in reality there is no bitterness among people. The Urs is an example of the generous and loving brotherhood that people of all faiths believe in. And, even the Muslim community here extends complete support to the members of the historic 355-year-old Mahakali and Bhadrakali Mata temples that stand next to the Dargah. In all the incidents of rioting that the city witnesses, this lane that is home to the Dargah and the temple has never been defaced.”

Juni Gadi Dargah stands in the lane across the Ajabdi Mill compound in Yakutpura. Since May last year, the area has witnessed over 15 episodes of communal rioting and stone pelting.

Just about a kilometre away from the Dargah was the epicentre of the four-day-long riots during Navratri last September.

This year, noted Qawwali singer Chand Qadri will perform at the Dargah on the occasion of Urs. Currently, Patni’s son, Tejas is overseeing the tiling work at the dome of the Mazaar. Salgaonkar, who has been volunteering for the task of painting the Dargah for a decade now.
Also keeping with practice, the Dargah has extended invitation for the Urs to the priests of the Swaminarayan sect and other Hindu sections in the city.

Ajay Dandekar, whose father Chintaman had close ties with the RSS, according to Dastagir Shaikh, is now continuing the tradition of serving the Dargah. Although Ajay, an LIC executive by profession, rues the fact that he cannot spend much time at the Dargah, he said he owes much to the strength he has received from here.

“My father was associated with the Dargah since 1983 after my older brother Ajit went missing. He was never found, but my father prayed for him fervently at the Mazaar every single day and it gave him peace,” Dandekar said.

“Many devotees offer lakhs of rupees as donation but the Mazaar has never accepted the same as the belief at this mazaar is that Baba Sadan Shah never asked for funds,” Dastagir Shaikh.