Srinagar- In a bid to provide relief to mourners, people from various localities in Srinagar have pooled money to install water sprinklers on midways and roadsides for mourners participating in Muharram processions.
Srinagar witnesses numerous mourning processions during Muharram, a period of mourning in the Islamic calendar for Shia Muslims, commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (A.S), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (P.b.u.h).
Locals say the longest sprinkler chain in Srinagar city has been installed from Alamgari chowk Chowk to Ganai Doori locality, facilitated by local youth without any governmental assistance.
The water sprinklers, attached to street lights, sprinkle water on both sides of the road.
“The water sprinklers, strategically placed along key points of the procession paths and the constant mist of water provides a refreshing respite, ensuring that the mourners remain cool as they stand and walk for hours together,” locals told Kashmir Observer.
They said that the initiative aims to provide relief to the mourners under Kashmir’s blistering sun.
“During the scorching heat, the mourner’s ordeal becomes almost unbearable. We realized that something needed to be done to minimize the suffering of mourners, so we decided to pool our resources and install water sprinklers along the procession routes, especially in inner lanes of Zadibal where the Ashura procession will culminate.”
“Recognizing the hardship faced by participants, we took it upon ourselves to provide a tangible solution to the ever increasing Kashmir’s temperatures during Muharram,” said Tabish Abbas, a resident of Zadibal.
Tabish further said that it is for the first time that such an initiative has been taken and they intend to extend it to further lanes in the locality.
Another local, Atif Hussain said that the locality got together and pooled money to make it happen.
“Everyone extended financial help to the extent they could and we were able to install a 500 feet long sprinkler system in the inner lanes of Zadibal leading to the shrine of Mir Shamsuddin Araki (R.A). The estimated cost of the project has been around sixty to seventy thousand rupees,” Atif said.
In addition to Alamgari Bazar and Zadibal, water sprinklers have been installed from the gateway of Imambara Hassanabad to the Imambara.
Pertinently, the local move to install water sprinklers comes amid boycott of government meetings by Shia Association, which is led by Molvi Imran Reza Ansari.
Imran Raza Ansari had announced its decision to boycott all government meetings related to Muharram and had called the government arrangements for Muharram as ‘half-hearted’ and unsatisfactory.
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