LUCKNOW: Following the diktat issued to madrasas by the Adityanath government to celebrate Independence Day by hoisting the Tricolour, singing the national anthem and national song and video-record it as proof, most of the eastern and central Uttar Pradesh institutions celebrated the occasion with traditional fervour as they claimed they have been doing for a long time.
According to reports, madrasas in Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur, Allahabad, Faizabad, Gorakhpur and Jhansi had organised cultural events, competitions, sports activities besides sessions on the life and times of martyrs and freedom fighters.
They got the entire function photographed and videographed in line with the government circular issued three days back. However, a silent edginess was palpable.
In almost all madrasas across Uttar Pradesh, Muslim children dressed in white attire with colourful skull caps and girls in head scarf turned up to take part in the event. They participated in flag hoisting followed by the national anthem.
Students and teachers of Maulana Azad Memorial Madrassa in Lucknow, celebrated Independence Day with flag hoisting and singing the national anthem. Principal Qari Sabir Husain said it had been the practice for years. “Had the media paid attention earlier, the myth that madrasas don’t celebrate national days would have been busted long ago,” he said.
Neither the teachers, nor the students had anything to do with the ongoing debate over the relevance of government order to madrasas as it was worthless to become engaged in any such row, said Mohammad Manzoor Ahmad, the elderly manager of Jamia Arabia Matlaul-Uloom located on the Varanasi-Mughalsarai Road.
“Though we have not received any directions from the UP Madrasa Education Board, we read in newspapers that the government wants madrasas to retain evidence, hence we are photographing and video recording the events,” said Maulana Dr Saeedur Rehman Azmi, principal of Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulema.
Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangimahli, head of Darul Uloom Firangimahal, said some of the Muslim religious schools have been doing videography for their records, though some other madrassas chose to ignore the order.