No way, says the Indian community in Tehran, forcing diplomatic mission to cancel event

The Indian embassy in Tehran has landed itself in a bizarre situation — of having to cancel a high-profile event that it had planned to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. And what’s more, it was forced to do so by the local Indian community.

The event was scheduled to be held on October 4 at the Indian Community Cremation Ground or ‘shamshan bhumi’, maintained by the Gurudwara Committee under the auspices of the Tehran-based Guru Nanak Charitable Trust. However, the local Indian community protested after the Indian embassy sent out an email invitation on September 19 to dozens of Indian-origin residents in Tehran. The mail, seen by The Hindu, said the event would be followed by “light refreshments like tea, snacks and water”.

Apart from the offer of tea in the ‘shamshan bhumi’, which some locals described as a display of insensitivity, community members were further disturbed on learning that the Indian diplomats also wanted to invite the Iranian media and a deputy mayor for the event.

Gift from the Shah

“We have witnessed India-Iran relations since the 1950s. Never have we seen the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi being celebrated in a cremation ground or a graveyard. This is unheard of, and I really do not know how Indian diplomats could come up with such a plan. Cremation ground stands for sadness but the Embassy wanted to offer us refreshments there,” said Harnam Singh, an elderly community leader in Iran. Further, the cremation ground had been granted to Indians in Tehran during the era of the Shah, when the population of Hindus and Sikhs was around 8,000. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the orthodox regime had allowed the cremation ground its autonomy only due to the traditional good ties with India. Local Indians felt that by inviting media to the funeral ground, the Embassy of India would have ended up drawing unnecessary attention to the funeral ground. This could cause inconvenience to the regime in Tehran, which is already under pressure from hardline Islamic countries in the region.

“In view of strong reservations expressed by many members of the Community, the event scheduled for 4th Oct, 2018 at the Indian Community Cremation Ground is hereby called off,” said a second email, sent on September 27, from First Secretary Harish Kumar of the Indian embassy.