In a touching gesture, a group of Kashmiri Pandits welcomed the first set of Haj pilgrims arriving from Saudi Arabia on Saturday and performed praises for Prophet Muhammad at the Srinagar airport, news agency PTI reported.
The first batch of 145 Hajis, who arrived here in the morning on the first return aircraft from the yearly pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia to the Valley, were welcomed by the group of Kashmiri Pandits who were waiting outside the terminal building of the Srinagar international airport.
The Pandits wished the Hajis well and congratulated them on finishing their trip. The pilgrims received flowers as a gift.
Additionally, the Kashmiri Pandit community members praised Prophet Muhammad in “naats,” or eulogies.
An online video of the gesture quickly gained popularity.
PDP spokesperson Mohit Bhan, who is a member of the Kashmiri Pandit minority, released the video on his official Twitter handle.
“Our Kashmiri Pandits welcoming Hajis at Srinagar airport today by singing traditional Naat seeking the blessings of Prophet. This is our syncretic culture believers of Islam are enablers of Amarnath Yatra & the followers of Shavism are messengers for unity,” Bhan tweeted.
Our Kashmiri Pandits welcoming Hajis at Srinagar airport today by singing traditional Naat seeking the blessings of Prophet. This is our syncretic culture believers of Islam are enablers of Amarnath Yatra & the followers of Shavism are messengers for unity. pic.twitter.com/5E7egZ2D7p
— Mohit Bhan (@buttkout) July 16, 2022
The most well-known Muslim eulogies had previously been performed by Kashmiri Pandit singers like Vijay Malla, while Muslim singers have done the same with Hindu devotional songs.
There were 65 ladies and 80 males among the 145 pilgrims.
This year, more than 6,000 pilgrims from J-K made the yearly journey to Saudi Arabia. Due to COVID-19the Haj restarted this year after a two-year hiatus.
According to organisers, the final aircraft transporting pilgrims from J-K will land here on August 2.
(With Inputs From PTI)