The campus of Deeniyat Muallima College in Santragachi (near Kolkata) hosted an intimate iftar organised exclusively by and for women. Non-Muslim women, mainly Hindu, were invited to experience Ramzan traditions firsthand while sharing their own cultural practices. The evening featured simple home-cooked food, open conversations about daily life, myths and stereotypes, and small group discussions on what it means to be neighbours in today’s India.

Organised in collaboration with the “Know Your Neighbour” initiative, the event deliberately stayed away from politics and focused on personal connections. Participants exchanged recipes, laughed over common mother-in-law stories, and left with new friendships and WhatsApp groups for future meet-ups. Many attendees later described it as one of the most meaningful evenings they had experienced in years.

In a region often portrayed through the lens of political polarisation, this women-led gathering quietly demonstrated that harmony can begin — and flourish — in everyday conversations between ordinary women.