LUDHIANA: A Shiv temple at Bhadaur town in Barnala district of Punjab has turned a deaf ear to the shouting matches that politicians have indulged in over Ghar Wapsi and religious conversions in the past few days.

On Wednesday, a maulvi quietly recited the Fateha or special Muslim prayers inside a Shiv temple even as sadhus and Sikh granthis listened in reverence. The fact that hymns of the Quran were being recited in the backdrop of a picture of Lord Shiva did not seem incongruent to them. The temple management also arranged for utensils and other articles for the event.

The rituals were being performed as part of the ninth-day prayers for Shoket Ali of Bhadaur, 20, a helper in a house in the area, who had died in a road accident earlier. Ali’s father is in jail for the last three years for his involvement in a murder case. His mother Shamshera Khan did not have the means to complete the rituals on her own and approached the Gyara Rudhar Shiv Mandir in the town to arrange for the prayers and they agreed.

Such bonhomie may surprise the outsider, but it is nothing new for the people. The temple’s management has been welcoming other faiths into their precincts since the mid-1990s when the management committee was constituted. About three years ago, they opened a big hall for members of all communities to hold religious functions.

Bhadaur has about 250 Muslim families in a population of about 20,000.

Only in December, three Muslim functions have been held at the temple while Sikhs have arranged 10 events. The temple’s managers say that by giving space to various communities, they are promoting universal brotherhood and strengthening the bond between them.

“We see it as a sign of communal harmony that exists in our area and we are proud of it,” says Krishan Kumar, member of the temple management committee.

Ali Akram, Shoket’s uncle said, “This was a small and personal event but it is going to give the right message to those who are trying to divide the people of the country in the name of religion.”

