A skilled Muslim musician has donated his skills by raising the dead among the few Hindus in Bangladesh on a peaceful journey to the next life.
Taher Ali Khan has built thousands of shrines for loved ones who have moved away from the peaceful Barisal Mahashashan shrine, the largest crematorium in Hinduism.
The devout craftsman prays five times a day and follows all the rules of Islam, but often finds himself being harassed by brave people who doubt his calling.
“My prophet said that we should get bread and a good job. And he advised us to avoid stealing, injuring others or committing any crime, “Khan, 60, told AFP.
“I work here to build a cemetery,” he added. “I do not see anything that can harm my religion.”
Hindus make up about 10 percent of the 169 million Muslim population and are well-represented in politics, commerce, and civil service.
But their numbers plummeted from about one-fourth of the population in 1947, when millions fled after the division of independent India into two separate religious lines.
Another migration coincided with the nine-month-long civil war in Bangladesh in 1971, when Pakistani military authorities acknowledged the killings that killed thousands of Hindus.
Violent religious tensions continue to this day, with at least six people killed last month in nationwide riots at temples.
News of the recent violence has angered Khan, who spent the next few days calling on his Hindu friends to ask about their safety.
He said: “I consider Hindus to be my brothers and sisters.
“They love me for my work. I am so dedicated to building a grave because everyone wants to build something beautiful for their dead. ”
Taher Ali Khan, right, works on the graves of Barisal Mahashashan’s Hindu crematorium [Munir Uz Zaman/AFP]Khan spends most of his time at the crematorium, working on the samadhi shrine that passes through the surrounding area.
The smallest obelisks and concrete concrete structures are small and inconspicuous, resembling Western-style stones, containing dead ashes buried in the ground.
The largest architecture is of many rivers with elaborate poles located above a small man-made pool that greets visitors to the entrance of the cemetery, which can be sold for up to 250,000 dollars ($ 3,000).
He said: “When I build a beautiful Samadhi of the dead, it makes me very happy. I feel that I have done something to help them feel better and to mourn their loss. ”
Khan studied business 35 years ago and is estimated to have built more than 10,000 charcoal at the time – many of which are located near the Barisal Cemetery and its operations.
“Look!
The couple wanted something beautiful for their little girl, who suddenly died. I did this with all my love and all my care. “
Khan spends most of his time at the crematorium, working at the samadhi shrine [Munir Uz Zaman/AFP]His work is especially needed by the Hindus living in Barisal as well as from the peasantry farmers surrounding the south port.
“It doesn’t matter if he is a Muslim, he works hard,” said Gouranga Das, who came to burn his mother and seek Khan’s help.
He made my grandfather’s grave and it was very beautiful.
Every year at the Bhoot Chaturdashi festival, when Hindu worshipers honor their dead by decorating with chewing gum and candles, he receives hundreds of invitations to remember his loved ones.
After spending more than half of his life working at Barisal Mahashashan, his owners also see him as a family, although he still works as a freelancer.
“People come to him to build the graves of their relatives because he is the best of them all,” said Tamal Malakar, secretary general of the crematorium.
“We love him and his work.”
