When you see scores of Mahaviri jhandas during Ram Navami processions this Saturday, pause for a moment to think of an elderly man called Mohammad Afzal who has painstakingly stitched many such saffron flags for decades now.
Afzal, a tailor in tension-ridden Hazaribagh, is a living example of India's pluralism. His skilled fingers are behind countless flags that have fluttered high during Ram Navami processions for over 30 years now.
Not for him any big ideological talk. But, there's a quiet pride in his work that involves both the sewing machine and needle-and-thread.
'Making the Mahaviri jhanda requires expertise. We stitch separate cloth pieces embroidered with Bajranbali (lord Hanuman) and Jai Shri Ram motifs on the flags. These embroidered pieces come from Varanasi and need to be placed on the huge saffron flags neatly. Not many tailors can do it,' the soft-spoken Afzal told The Telegraph on Thursday.
As a person belonging to the minority in a district that still shivers thinking of the 1989 communal riots and whose administrative machinery works overtime every Ram Navami to keep untoward incidents at bay, what does Afzal feel about making the flags?
'I'm only doing my job and I want to do it as best as I can,' Afzal said.
A resident of Godhakar village in Katkamsandi block, Afzal pedals to work on his cycle everyday at Rajasthan Vastralaya, an address famed for Mahaviri jhandas at Thana Gali in the heart of Hazaribagh. He starts work from 10.30am and ends it sometime late in the evening, when his 'eyes are tired'.
'I can only make two flags a day. But, look at their lengths to understand the volume of work involved. I make flags that are 20 metres, 25 metres and 40 metres long. The embellishments make the job time consuming,' he said.
'I make extra income during this festival, which helps my family,' he smiled, but declined to say how much he earned this time.
How did he learn this job? Going down memory lane, Afzal said he learnt to make and embellish the saffron flags from an expert in Masratu village. 'That was a long time ago. I am glad I picked it up well as there are only a handful of us in this profession,' he said.
Right now, Rajasthan Vastralaya is crowded with akhara members buying flags in bulk for Saturday's processions. The 20-metre flag costs Rs 350, while the 25-metre one is priced at Rs 400. The biggest one, 40 metres long, comes for Rs 450 each.
'Customers come to us from Hazaribagh town and blocks in the district. The shop where I work (Rajasthan Vastralaya) is a well-known name for the Mahaviri jhanda,' Afzal said.
Are people like Md Afzal the real heroes of unity in diversity?
Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
