Sambhal: A Muslim woman wearing a burqa drew attention after she was seen participating in the Hindu pilgrimage of Kanwar Yatra in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal on Saturday, February 14.
Travelling with a group of Kanwariyas, who are Hindu devotees undertaking the Kanwar Yatra, Tamanna Malik was seen carrying holy water with them in Sambhal. The other devotees enthusiastically welcomed her after they spotted her in the procession.
Tamanna, a resident of Sambhal, is married to Aman Tyagi in an interfaith marriage that was accepted by both families. Speaking to reporters after the yatra, she said she sought permission from her husband and in-laws before setting out on the pilgrimage, with Tyagi also joining her in the journey.
Explaining her participation, Tamanna said she undertook the Kanwar Yatra out of devotion to her personal faith. “I like doing this. Seeing other people carrying Kanwars, I also felt the urge,” Tamanna said.
She collected holy water from Haridwar and was planning to take it back to her town to offer prayers with it at a Shiva temple during Maha Shivratri. According to local media, while she was passing Bijnor, residents welcomed her along the procession, while authorities remained deployed to ensure smooth proceedings. She described the yatra as a commitment to her faith, instead of a statement.
While the videos of her walking alongside saffron-clothed Kanvariyas shocked many, others hailed Tamanna and her husband’s presence at the yatra as a symbol of communal harmony rooted in mutual respect for each other’s religion.
