“ Hindu-Muslim unity means not unity only between Hindus and Mussulmans, but between all those who believe India to be their home, no matter to what faith they belong… It is a daily-growing plant, as yet in delicate infancy, requiring special care and attention .” – Mahatma Gandhi inYoung India, May 11, 1925
During times when even minor issues have the potential to flare up and burn the bridges between different communities, nothing can be more heart warming than to find people sink their differences and live in amity. The holy town of Madurai is one such place where the bond between Muslims and Hindus gets strengthened by using simple words like ‘appu’, ‘Machchan’ and ‘Mappillai’ to address each other. In his semi-autobiographical book ‘Chithirakkaranin Kurippilirunthu’, painterM.G. Raffic Ahamed beautifully captures the camaraderie the two communities share even today.
Travelling back and forth in time, Raffic captures the vignettes of the ancient city to perfection. He takes the readers inside Muslim households with Imran. His description of large joint families and the mind boggling number of members (Imran’s grandfather had four wives and 50 children) that included domesticated animals are narrated in an interesting manner. He talks of soft-hearted Imran who could not bear to see his beloved rams and roosters slaughtered for making biryani. And then goes on to mentions how the ‘Mekkada’ , the champion ram, which had earned name and fame for the family in different competitions, was slaughtered.
The chapters on Muslim festivals, especially Bakrid, and other celebrations are handled with verve that compliments the narrative style of the author.
Raffic becomes a story teller narrating the history of Muslims in Madurai, who came to the city as merchants and made friends with the local community. Muslim saints, he writes, also came visiting and cured the locals of various ailments and won their hearts.
Muslims of Veeranallur near Ambassamudram were good in zari work and when they arrived in Madurai, they put their skill and creativity to use for survival. One important point to note, says Raffic, is that they did not come as invaders.
Through different voices, he tells the social history of the period. Imran’s grandfather recounts how local Muslim soldier, serving Pandia army, refused to entertain Sultan Alauddin Khilji’s trusted lieutenant Malik Kafur’s offer to shift loyalty. Local Muslims were specially trained in making weapons for the Naick kingdom. The place where ‘Kollan Pattarai’ (workshop) was located exists even today by the same name.
Tracing the history of the Urdu language, the author says it was initially spoken in the markets for trade before becoming the official language of Bahmani Kingdom. He also highlights the role played by Madurai Muslims in the Indian Freedom Movement. Like Maulana Sahib who was instrumental in bringing Mahatma Gandhi to Madurai in 1921 and subsequently took part in several agitations.
The book talks about how Imran inherits his grandfather’s artistic skills and not only grows into a painter but also a music and film lover. Raffic recalls the karate fever that gripped youngsters following the release of Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon . Through Imran, he fondly remembers his grandmother and mother, who respected his sentiments and encouraged his talent in art. In between he talks about his fantasy for mystery which is well depicted in the chapters on Lemuria (the lost land mass) where he also talks about demons.
Raffic’s style is unpretentious though an overuse of Urdu words tends to put the brakes on reading. There is a glossary of meanings, however, to help the reader. For example, he calls tanks as ‘thalappukal’ and ‘Bopparsi’ for cook. The author refers Tirupparankudram as ‘Sikkander Manda’ .
Raffic delineates his artistic and cultural pursuits in this book. Though he always tried to liberate himself from the conservative family set up, there is also a sense of pride in his description of the same family. Those who are familiar with Raffic’s paintings will also feel the book reads like footnotes for each of his canvas.
