Pics: Anush Pandith
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (SB)
Mangaluru, Aug 21: On the eve of Bakrid, the management and staff of St Aloysius College organized ‘Inter Faith Harmony Day’ at Fr L E Rasquinha Auditorium here on Tuesday, August 21.
Fr Clifford Fernandes of St Joseph Seminary, Manohar Prasad, chief, Udayavani news bureau, Mangaluru, Dr Abubakkar Siddiq, associate professor, Mangalore University, were the chief guests. Fr Dr Praveen Martis, principal, St Aloysius College (Autonomous), presided over the programme.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Abubakkar Siddiq said, “Bakrid signifies sacrifice and faith towards Allah. It is the second most important feast for Muslims and it symbolises concern on poor and needy. Prophet Ibrahim was a strong believer of God. One day, God tested him and asked to behead his son as a symbol of faith. Prophet closed his eyes and beheaded his son Ismail. But when he opened his eyes, he saw a head of a lamb beheaded. God saved Ismail. As a remembrance, commemorating the faith of prophet in God, every Bakrid, Muslims behead lamb. It called as Kurbani. Meanwhile, Muslims share the meat with needy and poor. Hence, this is a festival of sharing too.”
Manohar Prasad said, “We do every big thing these days, but do not do anything to put a smile on our neighbours’ faces. We neglect them and keep increasing the gap. This type of mentality has made us more selfish and rigid. So Bakrid is a great opportunity for us to understand this. It gives us a message of loving and sharing.”
Stressing on humanity, Fr Clifford said, “We should always follow the slogan ‘live and let live others’. Humanity brings us close and it pushes us to serve others. Every religion focuses on humanity. But somewhere, the wrong introspection of religions is becoming a hurdle in peace and harmony. We should give all hate mongers a fitting reply with harmony and brotherhood.”
Fr Praveen Martis said, “From the past 130 years, St Aloysius Educational Institutions have been educating people of all faiths. Here we celebrate all festivals in a grand manner. We are now celebrating Bakrid with our students and staffs. It gives us a great joy and happiness. This festival reminds us about three things - Share, Serve and Surrender. We have to share our joy, time, and life with others. We should serve our neighbours, the needy and poor. Finally, we have to surrender to the almighty. If we are masters in these things, harmony will automatically prevail in our society.”
Prior to the stage programme, various cultural programmes based on Bakrid were presented by students. Shamina K A, coordinator of the event, welcomed the guests and dignitaries.