Interfaith walk through temples, dargahs, gurudwaras in Hyderabad
The first stop on the walk was Shri Mahadev Temple, one of the most popular Lord Shiva temples in the old city
HYDERABAD: An interfaith walk through temples, dargahs, and gurudwaras was organised by Rubaroo, a youth development organisation in Hyderabad.
The walk was part of the Agaaz-e-Baatcheet programme 2022-2023, which began in 2017 with the goal of bridging this gap and creating a platform for interfaith conversations.
This year, Dr. Haseeb, the lead facilitator of the walk, began the Interfaith walk with an Adaab, a greeting that signifies to show respect. He discussed the importance of water in different religions while discussing the historical foundation Gulzar houz.
The first stop on the walk was Shri Mahadev Temple, one of the most popular Lord Shiva temples in the old city. The custodian of the temple discussed Hinduism.
The group then proceeded to Urdu Galli dargah, where they learned about Sufism and Islamic culture from Muzaffar Ali Moosavi, the dargah's current custodian. We also discovered that it is one of the few dargahs in the country that celebrates the Basant Panchami festival.
The next stop was Badshahi Ashurkhana, one of the city's best-preserved structures. The brilliantly coloured persian tile-mosaic walls mesmerised the walkers. Insights about the history of the Shia community, the battle of Karbala and martyrdom of Imam Ali were shared by Murutuza Ali Moosavi, custodian of Badshahi Ashurkhana and Dr.Haseeb Jafferi.
The walk concluded at Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, where the young people sat down to hear stories of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, golden rules of Sikhism, and Panj kakar from Harweendar Singh Gyani. The session concluded with each participant sharing their feelings about the walk.
One of the biggest learnings from the walk was that every religion talks about one thing or multiple things in the same way, aiming towards being good humans.
Dr. Haseeb Jafferi- A descendant of Salabath Jung from the Nizam family. He has a profound knowledge of Hyderabadi Tehzeeb, Heritage, and Sufism which he had learned from a very early age at his home. He is an experiential educator who employs deep facilitation techniques to bring experiential history to life via narration and experiential pedagogy.