A community known for its business acumen is also instrumental in helping the needy in Kolkata.
Members of the Dawoodi Bohra community spent most of Monday at an orphanage in central Kolkata’s Bowbazar, the latest in a series of charity initiatives.
The philanthropy initiatives were not lost on chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who met members of the community at the Burhani Masjid in Topsia on Monday to exchange Ramazan greetings.
“We convey our humble regards to you. I am happy to see all of you. You are just like a family. We are all together. We pray for peace. We work for the development of the underprivileged. I know that you run schools, colleges. You worked a lot during Covid as well, distributing food to so many people. Thank you so much,” Mamata told the gathering.
She thanked the community for their hospitality and wished them well on the occasion of Ramazan, applauding how community members were steadfast in their fasting even in such blistering heat.
Mamata was accompanied by Kolkata’s mayor Firhad Hakim and MLA Javed Ahmed Khan.
The members presented her with a traditional shawl. “An audio-visual presentation was shown to her, highlighting the community’s contribution towards the growth and development of the state and welfare projects to support local communities. The leader of the worldwide Dawoodi Bohra community, His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin’s representative in Kolkata, Khuzema Raashid, read out a message of gratitude, kindness and love especially sent by him on this occasion,” said Shakir Khambaty of the Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat Trust in Kolkata.
The Dawoodi Bohra community has around one million members all over the world. Around 1,100 families live in Kolkata.
“We are grateful to the chief minister for her visit to our community centre and convey her good wishes during the holy month of Ramadan. This gesture by her is an important step towards creating a more inclusive and harmonious society while promoting unity and constructive dialogues among members of various communities and backgrounds,” Khambaty said in a written statement.
