Lokmat News Network
Aurangabad: Lakhs of devotees made their way to attend the first day of the two-day long district-level religious congregation (ijtema) of Muslims which began at Chitegaon today. The devotees started arriving at the venue on Friday to attend the special prayers and camp at the site so that they do not miss any of the sermons and valuable guidance of the religious leaders.
Religious leaders like Nanded’s Maulana Saad Abdullah, Aurangabad’s Maulana Shamshuddin and Pune’s Maulana Mobin guided the devotees through their speeches on Friday. The temperature has dropped drastically since Friday, but the devotees started gathering since the daybreak on Saturday. The religious leaders delivered their valuable speeches through four sessions. They urged the devotees to adapt the life and teachings of the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) in their day-to-day lives. The sessions of speeches by veteran religious leaders will continue on Sunday. The congregation will conclude on special ‘dua’ likely to be held late in the evening (after Namaz-e-Maghrib or Isha) tomorrow. Meanwhile, the organisers hope the attendance of devotees will get double tomorrow.
The venue of congregation comprises 300 acres of land. The giant size pandal has been erected on 30 acres and it got completely packed during today’s afternoon prayer. After prayers, two religious leaders guided the devotees conveying the message of the Almighty Allah through the Holy Quran and the beloved prophet. The sessions of speeches by religious leaders continued after Namaz-e-Asar.
Adequate arrangements
A large number of four-wheelers were seen parked outside the railway station to ferry the devotees (free of cost) to Chitegaon. Many rickshaw owners also put on banners stating free transportation service for the devotees. Many organisations volunteered to offer tea, water, fruits, and refreshment on the way to the devotees.
Separate and adequate parking arrangements have been made for the two-wheelers, three-wheelers, light motor vehicles (LMVs) and heavy motor vehicles (HMVs) at the venue. The organisers have made parking arrangements at 13 different places so that the visitors arriving at the ijtema from four directions could park their vehicles without any inconvenience. The volunteers, in groups, were straying around giving instructions and requesting to maintain discipline on the campus. The arrangement of ablution and lavatory for devotees was also convenient. The tanker seems to have pressed to transport water from the two farm ponds to the demanded spot during the whole day. Several four-wheelers were seen lifting and collecting waste like empty water bottles and other dry waste at the venue. This was to ensure that the place does not look filthy and untidy.
Free meal distribution was also offered at many places on the campus, while some food joints were offering meals at a meagre cost. The sale of tea and fruits was also noticeable.
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Who am I to feed them?
A Dhaba-owner at Chitegaon, Paramjeet Singh Palaya, along with his nearer ones was enthusiastically offering ‘poha’ to the devotees. He continued to distribute it till late in the evening. While speaking to the newspaper he said, “ Who am I to feed the devotees? I am just a servant (sevak). The Almighty God takes care of everybody.”
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Mass marriage of 300 couples
There was an overwhelming response to the registration for mass marriage. A total of 300 youths are going to marry during the ijtema on Sunday.
Jamaats in different parts of state
After the conclusion of the special dua on Sunday evening, around 1,000 jamaats (groups of devotees) will be going in different parts of Maharashtra and to other states as well, said the Chitegaon sarpanch and office-bearer of management committee Shaikh Wahed and deputy sarpanch Basweshwar Nazar.
Six heart patients shifted
In the past 24 hours, six devotees reported of cardiac complaints. They were admitted to the five hospitals at the venue and later on, through six ambulances, were admitted to the city’s hospitals. Free medicine distribution centres were also set up at five spots. The medicines are being distributed under the guidance of expert doctors.