South Office Para is an elite residential neighbourhood in Ranchi. Though situated in Doranda thana area, it enjoys safe distance from the tense Manitola-Pokharitoli belt and has not overtly been affected by the recent violence.
However, veteran residents of the colony, who have seen both the zenith of harmony as well as the nadir of riots post-Independence, couldn't help but express their sadness and disgust over the flare-ups in central and southern parts of the city since last week.
Mutual distrust among people "who once lived as one family" and rumour mills working overtime have disheartened them as much as the fraying social fabric.
Octogenarian Minoti Devi is one strong critic of the current divide in Doranda. Resident of Alo Chhaya - a nearly five-decade-old, two-storey private house in South Office Para, the 82-year-old recalled how various communities complemented each other like light and shadow.
"When I settled in Ranchi 50 years ago, we had a Muslim family as our immediate neighbour. We had bonded so well. Look how the times have changed. People don't bond these days, they engage in bickering - bitter and baseless bickering," the elderly woman said.
Minoti Devi added that she felt concern for mothers whose sons were caught in the strife. "I have seen riots in 1967 and 1992. Once again, trouble-mongers are driving a wedge between communities. I have asked my son and daughter-in-law not to venture out. They haven't visited the Doranda market for grocery items as they normally do."
Son Shivaji Dey (60), a retired SAIL employee, said his father late Jitendra Nath Dey, who was a section officer in the AG office, had always loved Ranchi. "Look what the city has come to. My Muslim friends are living in fear," he said as wife V. Satyavati (49) nodded in despair.
"My wife is a teacher at SS Government Girls' School in Doranda. She has remained confined indoors for two days. We have decided to go to the market after three days," he added.
Shivaji's niece Shubhangi Shifa (20), an English student of St Xavier's College who stays with them because his sons work outside the state, said Doranda had become so volatile in recent years that she often feared going to college. "It is disturbing to feel unsafe in a place where you have been raised."
Residents of Rameswaram Apartment Amitabh Dey (62), a retired AG office employee, and wife Banani Dey (56) vented similar feelings like Minoti Devi and her family.
"We are growing old and often need medicines. During the Saturday shutdown (after the Friday night violence in Hinoo), I could not visit the chemist. I haven't ventured out to that side (trouble zone) till now," said Amitabh.
His grandfather Gopal Chandra Dey had settled in Ranchi in 1912. "We had friends from all communities back then, and our mind was without fear and doubt. Nowadays, we are afraid to make new friends. The situation is volatile. Who knows when your friend may become your enemy," he said.
Banani said they had stayed put at home for four days. "The violence of 1967 is fresh in memory. Back then there wasn't so much rumour-mongering. Monday's violence has been blown out of proportion. Many said there would be riots again. I am glad the situation has been controlled," she added.
