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In lieu of Babri masjid, Indo-Islamic Cultural Research Centre to be built in 5 acre land mandated by the SC
We will develop a centre that will represent India's syncretic culture, where Hindus and Muslims live in harmony and are bound by a strong thread of brotherhood, Pushpesh Pant said.
YODHYA: The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation, the Trust constituted by Sunni Waqf Board to build a mosque in Ayodhya in lieu of Babri masjid, has appointed renowned historian, international relations expert and chronicler of Indian cuisine Prof Pushpesh Pant, 73, as consultant curator of its archival museum, which will be part of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Research Centre on the 5acre plot mandated by Supreme Court.
The mosque complex at Dhannipur village in Ayodhya will also include a hospital, school and community kitchen. Pant, a retired JNU professor and recipient of Padma Shri told TOI “the true spirit of India is embodied in its multicultural fabric that we call the Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb. We will develop a centre that will heal and feed humanity in the true spirit of Islam”.
The community kitchen in the mosque complex will serve the finest Awadhi cuisine, he said.
“The menu may include ‘Gosht-Roti’, Tehri and Puri-Sabzi. We will incorporate the taste of Awadh from Lucknow to Faizabad and from Jaunpur to Banaras,” said Pant.
Talking about the upcoming museum, he said, “We will develop a centre that will represent the syncretic culture of India in which Hindus and Muslims live in harmony and are tied by a strong thread of brotherhood. It will represent India’s illustrious history in which a Hindu can serve at a mosque and Muslims patronize temples. The museum will showcase the legacy of Sufis to Muslim rulers who embraced Indian culture.”
