ONLY HINDUISM CAN TEACH HINDUS TO SHOW SUCH COMPASSIONS, WHICH REALLY HAPPENED.

A true story- Sundararjaan

Aurangabad Brahmin Sent a Muslim for Haj.....
Posted on 01 February, 2007
This example proves the respect and love that Hindus have for
>non-Hindus and Hindus are not fanatics. - Editor)
>ARAFAT: The truth is indeed stranger than fiction. You hear this cliché and
>it remains a cliché till you run into a story that indeed gives you a
>pleasant jolt.
>
>Mahboob Hasan's true story may seem to be an exception for those unfamiliar
>with the inter-faith traditions of India. To others who are acutely aware
>of
>the horrific communal riots of Gujarat in western India, in which Muslims
>were burned alive by Hindus, it will certainly come as a surprise.
>
>Hasan from Aurangabad in India's Maharashtra state is one of the millions
>of
>pilgrims standing shoulder-to- shoulder as Muslims here on the plains of
>Arafat where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) delivered his last
>sermon.
>The standing of the pilgrims in Arafat is the climax of Haj.
>
>Hasan was able to stand here yesterday thanks to the sponsorship of a
>caring
>family back home a family of Brahmins.
>
>Hasan's relationship with the Jagtap family began in the 1960s when he held
>a lowly position at Maharashtra government's Department of Cooperatives.
>His
>boss was Harishchandra Jagtap. Eventually the Jagtaps had a son by the name
>of Surendra and they offered Hasan a job as a nanny. It was Hasan who would
>take Surendra to the only English school in the city. In his late 30s,
>Surendra now works as an engineer in Dubai.
>
>The Jagtaps never forgot Hasan's loyalty after he retired. Mrs. Jagtap
>decided to send Hasan to Haj at her expense. She explained her decision to
>her son and reminded him of what Hasan did for him when he was a
>school-going boy. Surendra said he would bear all the expenses of Hasan's
>pilgrimage, but Mrs. Jagtap insisted she will pay and in the end she had
>her
>way.
>
>"Hearing such a story is heartening," said one journalist covering the Haj.
>"There are some in our society who disapprove of Muslims associating with
>non-Muslims in any way. In reality, we live in a global community and if
>the
>intention of one human being to another is good, then we should thank God
>for such a blessing."
>
>It is normal for many Indians to spend their life's savings to perform Haj,
>but Hasan, who was never highly paid and had barely the savings to support
>himself after retirement, decided at some point he simply would have to
>forgo his pilgrimage.
>
>However, thanks to Mrs. Jagtap's gesture, Hasan was able to perform Haj
>without spending money that he would need for his waning days.
>
>"How can I forget their token of affection," he was quoted as saying to his
>friends yesterday. "They are very nice people. Mr. Jagtap was a very nice
>man. He died years ago. He shared my happiness and my pain in those
>difficult days. They treated me as one of their own. They are my extended
>family and I am part of their extended family."
>
>Ten days before Hasan departed for Haj, Mrs. Jagtap died. One of the Hindu
>woman's last gestures was giving Hasan 300,000 rupees (about SR26,000) to
>pay for the trip of his lifetime. Hasan says the Jagtap family is in his
>prayers here in Arafat.