They take steps in right direction

It's a step in the right direction. For the first time, three Muslim women’s organisations have decided to participate in the Vadodara ...

It’s a step in the right direction. For the first time, three Muslim women’s organisations have decided to participate in the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) annual garba competition. It’s also a change from their usual activities of making garam masalas and conducting mbroidery classes.

Rashida Kothari, president of the Nur-e-Ilahi Mahila Gruh Udyog Sahkari Mandal Ltd, has been running the organisation for economically backward women. ‘‘I wanted to emphasise the feeling of unity,’’ she says. Her only regret is that her troupe of 16 girls doesn’t have any Muslims.

For Kulsum Pathan who runs the Saabri Mahila Mandal, this is a way of putting last year’s communal strife behind her. Her organisation works in Tarsali, one of the first areas to witness communal violence. Her husband’s tempo was burnt but Kulsum, who teaches sewing to girls, would rather concentrate on how her 14 girls — one of them a Muslim — are preparing for the competition. ‘‘We want to make our presence felt at the city level,’’ she says.

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Like Rashida, Kulsum, too, has a Hindu friend helping the troupe get the garba steps right.

An advertisement issued by the VMC prompted the Sanjari Mahila Mandal, run by Aabeda Malek in Tarsali, to respond. The organisation helps women of the locality sell garam masala they make.

VMC Deputy Municipal Commissioner M.J. Thakkar is upbeat. He says: ‘‘It’s a healthy sign for society.’’