JEDDAH, 22 November 2002 — Sanjida Banoo is a 13-year-old girl, who lost her father in the communal riots that swept the western Indian state of Gujarat in the recent months. She lived in Jahangir Nagar, Vatva, Ahmedabad, and did not know what to do and where to go.
Similar was the fate of Fauzia, the five-year-old daughter of Azim Muhammad Sheikh and Shama Banoo, both of whom perished in the riots.
Like Sanjida and Fauzia there were hundreds of children who became orphans and were looking for help. Various relief camps that were opened much after the riots did not accommodate all of them. Nor were the victims in a position to go anywhere.
They simply survived somehow until some of the them were taken by various educational and social organizations. Royal Educational Society based in Raigad, Maharashtra, is one of them.
The society, with Professor Abdur Rahim Undre as president, has been active in the field of education, especially among deserving, needy and underprivileged people. “Our society picked up 85 children — 55 boys and 30 girls — from Gujarat relief camps and admitted them in our school,” Dr. Undre told Arab News. He was here to perform Umrah and also interacted with the community focusing on the plight and needs of riot victims, especially orphans.
“Some of them have lost both parents or one of them, or one or more siblings, but all of them lost their homes. It’s a stupendous task. Educational rehabilitation is of utmost importance for children today as it may be too late tomorrow,” said Dr. Undre who is professor of surgery of the National Board of Examinations, New Delhi. He is honorary surgeon at some of the leading hospitals and research centers of Bombay, including Jaslok, Lilavati and Bhatia hospitals. “We owe it to humanity to look after all affected children. They all want to become doctors, lawyers and policemen. We all can help provide them a new lease of life full of hope and joy. They are all welcome to join our society and pursue education in a peaceful environment,” he said. The society runs an English high school and junior college, a girls’ English high school and a women’s degree college, all at Borli Panchatan, Shriwardhan, Raigad. Dr. Undre said he had been able to send 100 affected children to his school. “We provide accommodation in the hostel and take care of their food, medical and other needs.
Our utmost concern is to see that the children are integrated into the school environment and have access to good education,” said Dr. Undre.
Deploring the communal riots in which thousands of Muslims perished, Dr. Undre said he founded the Secular Activist Watch after the Gujarat genocide.
“The future of India is in its secular character. Politicians speak in two voices; they talk of secularism and stoke the fire of communalism. Chief Minister Narendra Modi is the enemy of Gujarat. The state was industrially India’s No. 1 before the communal riots. It now ranks 16th,” he said.
