Honouring Stories Of Compassion And Radical Love At Rehmat Festival
Hyderabad: At the 2-day event titled ‘Rehmat’ held recently at Lamakaan in the city, host Harsh Mander gave a beautiful opening note on how leaders around the world are teaching us how to hate and the danger of being a minority in India.
He explained: “It’s important to recognize and publicly celebrate these heroes, people who reflect not just kindness and compassion, but also courageous kindness, who are willing to risk their own lives to protect others and stop violence. I also call it radical love, a love for which you are willing to give your life. I’ve always heard stories of people saving lives, and this event is a way to recognize them.”
Increasing communal violence in India has become an international problem; many lost their lives or loved ones; This is an incredibly difficult pain to experience. These brave and kind heroes were the theme of the event. Their stories of grace, compassion, and peace during some of the most troubling times were celebrated and shared for the world to know.
The two-day festival included stories, dialogues, poems, book readings and music concerts around the same theme. The discussions and stories were moderated by Harsh Mandal as well as national and international award-winning journalists Rana Ayyub and Kunal Purohit, who have repeatedly raised their voices against the increasing communal violence in India.
Among the awardees are Adil Hussain Shah, who was a civilian martyr in the Pahalgam terror attack in 2025 and whose father was also there; Imam Imdadullah Rashidi, who continued to preach peace after losing his son in the communal violence that broke out during the Ram Navami procession in Asansol, West Bengal; Ngaineikim Lunkim, a well-known Kuki-Zo women’s rights activist and peacebuilder, who lost two of her cousin brothers in the recent Manipur violence, and Himanshi Narwal, who lost her husband Lt. Vinay Narwal in the Pahalgam attack six days after her marriage (in absentia, adopted by Lalita Ramdas).
All the buyers had one thing in common: radical love. In their hour of mourning, they chose peace when the easier choice was hatred. “There are more Adils in Pahalgam,” said Syed Haider Shah, whose son was a civilian martyr, and this carried inexpressible weight.
Imam Imdadullah Rashidi told his neighbors and others who wanted revenge after his son was beaten in communal violence, “I want peace. My son was taken away. I don’t want families to lose their loved ones anymore. I don’t want houses to burn anymore. I already told the meeting that I will leave Asansol if there is any retaliation. I told them that if you love me, you will not lift a finger.” He demonstrated in practice what he had taught all his life: a life of grace, compassion, and peace.
Ngaineikim Lunkim is a Kuki activist and peacebuilder who saved the lives of many Meitei during violent riots in the state; something that caused his own Kuki community to question his motives. Even though he lost two brothers because of the Meitei community, he still continues to save others.
Lalita Ramdas spoke of Himanshi Narwal’s courage as a young widow to speak to the national media with surprising openness and gracefully handle the hatred and trolling that comes with being called “anti-national”.
What brought them all together was their humanity; they stood for peace, love and humanity in a world ruled by hatred. Throughout the session, participants were moved to tears as they listened to heartbreaking stories one after another. Rehmat managed to give hope and strength to everyone involved. It was heartening and inspiring to see, hear, and be around such brave, kind people who took a strong stand for humanity.
This article was written by Tezpur University student Hannah Judith Johnson, who is interning at Deccan Chronicle.
