BARASAT: Partha Sarathi Bose from Nabapally at Barasat spent a sleepless night on the eve of Eid. He was busy cleaning and decorating the mosque next door that the Bose family owns. The Amanati Mosque, between Hridaypur and Barasat, is a unique symbol of communal harmony in the area.A writing in Bengali at the entrance of the twotiered structure reads ‘probhu ke pronam karo’ (pray to the almighty) — and that says it all. The word ‘probhu’ is generally used in Churches while ‘pronam’ is used in temples.The Boses, who had property in Bangladesh’s Khulna, exchanged it for a plot in Nabapally in 1960.“After taking possession of the land, our ancestors took stock of the dilapidated mosque that stood on it. My grandfather would say one should always develop any kind of religious place instead of destroying it. Since then, the Amanati Mosque has been developed into a structure that draws people from all religions,” Bose said.“Every evening, many locals — almost all of whom are Hindu — come to the mosque to pray,” said Akhtar Ali, the Imam of the mosque.Nabapally, the area where the mosque is situated, has a small Muslim population. But it also attracts devotees from areas nearby, like Kora, Kazipara and Chandanpur.Bablu Iqbal, who reached Amanati Mosque for Eid prayers early on Saturday morning, said, “Throughout this Ramzan month, we have come here from Chandanpur to offer namaz everyday. We have a mosque in our locality too, but this one has a special place in our family. So we come here every year with our children.”“The place is relatively small, but the people here are large-hearted. So we consider this place to be our own mosque,” said Momin Ali Mondal, who cycles about seven km from Kazipara to pray at Amanati Mosque.Bose’s father Dipak has spent a lot of his time cleaning the mosque every day. “My father and elder brothers had developed the mosque. So I try to devote as much of my time as I can to keep the place clean and well maintained. I hope my son has also grown an affinity for this mosque. It is our family pride,” he said.Bose, who also fasts during Ramzan, said, “After daily namaz during this time, somebody offers Iftar. But on the 27th day, my Muslim brothers have given me the opportunity to offer Iftar.”Mitu Das, a schoolteacher and resident of the area, said, “We never consider it a religious place only for Muslims . From many years, we know this as our place for prayer too.”

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