The Akhunji Masjid, a centuries-old mosque in Mehrauli, Delhi, along with the adjacent Madrasa Bahrul Uloom, was sliced down to the ground in the wee hours of 30th January, 2024. The mosques held histories, and the madrasa was a place of solace for 25 students.
The Masjid, which is believed to have been built 600 years ago, was razed to the ground by the DDA department; however, ironically, it belonged to a time when DDA itself did not exist.
The imam of the mosque and the caretaker of the madrassa, Zakir Sahab, was, like usual, getting ready to lead the dawn prayer (the fajr prayer) when the beautiful silence of the winter day was made eerie by bulldozers, taking away his happiness, livelihood, and the shelter of 25 students.
The move turned out to be extensively brutal, to the extent that the students of the madrassa were not even given time to wear jackets or footwear. They stood without possessions, any shelter, or any hope. Their religious textbooks were shattered, blended with soil beneath the open sky. They shivered in the cold, with chilled waves engulfing them, carrying the weight of their sadness and helplessness. “Where are we going to live now? …What will happen to our studies?” They asked this question but found no one to listen to them, just haunting silence.
Soon the demolition captured the spotlight, booking a place on the front page of the newspapers and highlights of the news channels. Social media raised the outrage, with people speaking for the innocent children and Imam Zakir Sahab.
Miles2Smile learned about the demolition and displacement of Imam Zakir Sahab and children. We immediately went to talk to them and provide them with all the necessities required. Providing warmth and shelter to the children and Imam Zakir Sahab was our prime priority. We evacuated them to another madrassa—Kalan Mahal—and helped them resettle there, taking care of their education and daily requirements.
Imam Zakir Sahab’s suffering was not just limited to shelter or warmth; he lost his livelihood too. To make ends meet, he took a major step—to take the job of Rapido pickup services.
The job did not meet his skills; he was not satisfied. He wanted to set up a stationery account and supply the book of knowledge to madrassas across his vicinity but lacked resources.
On our recent visit to the Madrass, we found children were happy, but Imam Zakir Sahab seemed crestfallen with a worrisome thought palpable in his face.
On being asked about it, he demonstrated his interest in setting up his stationery shop. At Miles2Smile, we believe in providing long-term sustainability to the people. With the help of our donors, we established a stationery shop for Imam Zakir Shahab and loaded it with books, notebooks, pencils, erasers, rulers, and other miscellaneous items.
He sits inside his stationery shop and envisions a bright future, a future full of hope, happiness, and satisfaction.
