This is where mediaeval poet Sant Kabir is believed to have breathed his last. As Hindus and Muslims fought over how his last rites should be performed,the legend goes,the body miraculously vanished with flowers taking their place. The Muslims took the sheet that had covered the body,the Hindus took the flowers. Today,the shrine at Kabir Nirvana Sthal,where people of both religions pay tribute,includes a mausoleum built by Hindus and a tomb by Muslims. But like then,Hindus and Muslims are fighting again,says a saint at Kabir Nirvan Sthal. This time,its the elections. The small town of Maghar,its population 25,000 to 30,000,is part of Khalilabad that votes Saturday. Delimitation has made the reserved seat a general one after 32 years. Sant Kabir Saheb always talked of religious tolerance, says Mahant Vichar Saheb,head priest of Kabir Sthal,adding that Maghars Hindus and Muslims share an ideological consensus on Kabir and his philosophy but when it comes to elections,the communities are still divided on caste and religious lines. In the fray are 19 candidates,a mix of Hindus and Muslims including Peace Partys Dr Mohd Ayub. Maghars Aksir Ul Hasan says,For 20 years,every political party has made this town two promises and never fulfilled either. We know they never will be fulfilled. So voting will be on caste lines. One promise involves the reopening of Sant Kabir Sahkari Katai Mill,which supported over 1,500 people till it shut 25 years ago. We dont expect it to open again, says Naseem Kausar. Most families have found other sources of livelihood now. Hasan and Kausar worked at the mill and are still waiting for their provident fund dues. The second promise is about cleaning the river Ami. It was our main source of water, says Hasan. The water is so filthy now that even animals dont drink it. Jamaluddin favours Dr Ayub who has emerged our leader and is a man with a clean image. Dr Ayubs slogan Hindu Muslim saath chalega,Ekta ka raj chalega is lost on voters. He comes from the Ansari caste of weavers and more than half the Muslims of Maghar are Ansari,Jamaluddin says. Dr Ayub also has relatives in the town, he adds. The upper caste Muslims,he says,are leaning towards Abdul Kalam (Samjawadi Party) or Mashooor Alam Chaudhary (BSP). Muslims are divided between three candidates,Hindus between the BJPs Digvijay Narayan Chaubey and the Congresss Alok Yadav. The SCs will back the BSP, says Dwarka Prasad. Jai Prakash Gupta,who owns a grocery,says the division among Muslims has lifted the BJPs prospects. The Jaiswal and Gupta communities back Chaubey, he says. The saints followers feel the voters divide is not a deviation from his teachings. The two communities are quite tolerant of each other and stand together for Kabir. The saint allowed difference of opinion, says Ved Prakash Chaubey,a retired teacher and founder member of the Annual Maghar Mahotsava that commemorates Kabirs teachings. Nasir Ali Khan,a teacher retired from Maghars SKRB Inter College,says Kabir preached that people should rise above caste to choose an honest man. When everyone is corrupt,you have to choose the least corrupt,and that is what people are trying to do.
