Kerala - Kozhikode   

Iftar parties turn venues of friendship, harmony

Cultural treat:The tastes of the Iftar spread are akin to the multitude of cultures in the country. It rightly forges communal amity. An Iftar party in progress in Kozhikode.

Kozhikode: The ‘Iftar' parties hosted here by various organisations during the holy month of Ramzan are increasingly becoming a forum for religious harmony, cultural mixing and developing better public relations.

Nowadays, Iftar parties are not hosted by Muslim organisations or prominent leaders from the community alone. Political parties, socio-cultural organisations, charitable trusts, media organisations, individuals and even banks host Iftar parties these days. As the number of parties is on the rise, more than one fall on the same date at times.

‘Iftar' refers to the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic Month of Ramzan. It assumes political and public relational importance when the hosts are party leaders or business houses.

United Democratic Front district convenor M. Veerankutty, who will host a party in the city on Friday, said an Iftar party had greater relevance in a “troubled time like ours.” According to him, the function clearly sends a message of amity and religious harmony among different sections of people. “Our invitation is not restricted to people from any particular religion or political party, we will have a complete cross section of society for the party,” said Mr. Veerankutty.

The regional office of the Punjab National Bank (PNB), which held an Iftar party in the city here recently, also saw to it that people from different religious denominations were invited. Despite the latent business implications, the party was well attended by people from all sections of the society, including people's representatives like MLAs and administrators like the District Collector.

Business organisations like the Chamber of Commerce hold Iftar parties mostly as a public relation exercise, while media organisations view such parties as an opportunity to show camaraderie with other media outfits and advertisers.

All Iftar party organisers see to it that the event is arranged in a way adhering to the traditional practice of the believers breaking the fast, facilitating a pleasant cultural mix between the members of different religions.

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