Meet The Neighbours

Heritage walks and mosque tours, and a database of landlords who won't discriminate on the basis of religion: Kolkata fights back against communal rabble-rousing.

- Anuradha Sengupta

On a muggy August Sunday, a group of around 52 people took a walk around the old Kolkata neighborhood of Zakaria Street, observing the decades-old ittar stores and trying out fragrances, noticing the shop's charming architectural details, and having spontaneous chats with the area's residents. The walk was part of an ongoing initiative between Kolkata's Presidency University and Know Your Neighbour (KYN), a social experiment aimed at promoting communal harmony in Bengal. The initiative was started in 2016 in association with SNAP (Social Network for Assistance to People) Bengal.

Sabir Ahmed of SNAP says he found the need for the initiative after seeing the increasing level of discomfort that other communities had about Muslims. He feels KYN is particularly important now when much of the fear is nurtured on social media and digital platforms like WhatsApp. “My interactions with young participants revealed surprising misconceptions. Something like the practice of Dastarkhan, a traditional space for meals kept on a yellow cloth featuring Urdu couplets, had become the basis for speculation over why Muslims 'eat in bed'. You hear about someone booking an Uber or a meal, finding the delivery person or driver is Muslim and canceling the ride or order. I had a researcher from a reputed university abroad who wanted to do some study on the Muslim community but refused to come to Kidderpore to meet me. I'd rather meet you in a café at Park Street, she said. Because she had heard it was not a 'good area'. It's all becoming so strange.”

Interactions with Locals