Hindu-Muslim bhai, bhai

Hours after the blast on Saturday, members of both the communities were trying their best to restrain from any blame game, reports Swaha Sahoo.

Hindus, Muslims and a century-old tradition of taking out a colouful procession called Phoolwalon-ki-Sair or the procession of flower-sellers — this is what the congested, winding lane of Mehrauli Sarai was famous for till now.

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Hours after the blast on Saturday, members of both the communities were trying their best to restrain from any blame game.

“We have always lived peacefully with each other. The tradition of celebrating Phoolwalon-ki-Sair goes back to the time of Bahadur Shah Zafar,” said Mohammad Inam, a shopkeeper.

When the bomb went off, Inam was in the midst of namaz inside Auliya masjid, which stands 300 metres from the blast site.

He emphasised that Phoolwalon-ki-Sair was one festival in which both Hindus and Muslims participated with equal fervour, year after year.