G rowing up as a Pasmanda Muslim in India, some of my most cherished memories are of celebrating festivals with people of other faiths. Those moments weren’t just about food or rituals; they were about belonging together. They were living testimony to the idea of India I hold close—a place where diversity is lived and shared in the most ordinary, joyful ways.

Garba during Navratri was one of the Hindu festivals I grew up genuinely enjoying. Many Muslims around me carried the same spirit—seeing it as a way to share joy, culture, and community. But not everyone viewed it that way. Some Muslims, including Islamic scholars, looked at garba through a narrow, rigid lens. For them, it was a ritual tied to Hindu deities, something they warned against as shirk—forbidden in Islam. Others objected

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