by Faiqa Masoodi
SRINAGAR: As the dusky Malpora village in Sopore finally decided to raise donations for the completion of the mosque construction, they moved from door to door during the Muslim month of fasting. Residents responded by offering whatever they had.
There was a young orphan, whose identity had not been disclosed by the Masjid Committee, who – among other things, offered an egg. The Committee had no option but to accept.
Unlike timber, bricks, cement and tin sheets, no material contributions can get into the making of the mosque. The egg had to be disposed off, and the sale goes to the mosque coffers. Even if everybody knew the egg would not cost more than Rs 10, the committee still had to go for auction, the global way out for managing such donations.
“The young man who donated the egg, donated it because he wanted it, among other things,” one resident, Nazir Ahmad Mir said. “He is a young man and lives with his mother, a widow.”
Mir said they decided to auction the egg on Eid thinking it would get a good response. “It did,” he said. “On the very first day of the auction, this egg raised a donation of Rs 1.48 lakh.” People would purchase it, return the egg and pave the way for someone else to pay more. “They would pay but return the egg.”
It was three days later when the egg had to be sold finally. “By around 6 pm, a young man appeared on the scene and took the egg for Rs 70,000,” Mir said. “The egg was purchased by more than 60 people who paid what their donations but returned the egg for re-sale. Eventually, this egg resulted in a collection of Rs 226640 including the last sale of Rs 70,000 that the young man paid.”
Mir said it was not egg alone. “Many people donated what they had and what they wanted to donate. We auctioned everything,” he said. “So far we have been able to raise around Rs 8-Rs 10 lakh but we require three times more.”
The young man who finally sealed the deal on day three of the auction is Danish Ahmad. A twelfth grader who decided to get into business is the second sibling of his parents.
“We are desperate to complete the construction of this mosque. It has been waiting to have its roof completed but the Jamia is slightly bigger and requires good money,” Danish said, speaking from Warpora, the neighbouring village, where he runs a solar appliances shop. “I am not a rich man but it was just the passion and emotion towards the sacred space that I did this.”
Danish said he got what he deserved: “My mother hugged me and said you have done great. That is enough for me”. However, Danish said the people around must help the village conclude the construction of this mosque.
Malpora is located on the road from Sopore to Bandipore, barely 4 km away from the main town. “We may be around 250 households in this village. We work hard in orchards and earn but we do not fall in a rich village category,” he said. “That is precisely why the residents do whatever they can to complete the Jamia. Even you can help us.”
The video clips showing the crowd celebrating the last sale with the mosque managers dancing have broken the internet in Kashmir.
