[GOTFIVEONIT]

SHIRAZ KHAN, 27

"The partition happened a long time ago and questions about it seem totally irrelevant to me.

It's only when I talk to my grandmother, and hear her story, I feel the turmoil inside me, I feel her pain and empathise with her. I realise how much pain and struggle she and our country has gone through.

But then I think of the future - everyone is talking about India's progress, how fast it's growing and I feel proud of our country.

My grandparents and my parents had an option before them to leave and go to Pakistan, but they chose to live here.

And I think they chose wisely.

Looking at the present situation of Muslims elsewhere, I see that their condition is far worse in other countries.

If I have a problem here, people of different communities here will come to my aid. But people of my own community will not come and help me in any other country.

Living in India, you share your life with people of different communities and that makes you a lot more liberal - we all may belong to different religions, but from the inside we're all similar.

I have had a very secular upbringing and most of my friends are non-Muslims.

The first time I became aware of my Muslim identity was in 1992, just after the Babri Mosque had been demolished in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya.

I was in fifth (Grade) standard then and one of my friends said, "You are a Mullah".

I didn't know what a Mullah was, so I came home and asked my mother.

She said, "Because you are a practising Muslim, it's just another name for you. You should not feel offended."

To be honest, I did feel a little offended then, but when I grew up I realised that in some areas people from the two communities are polarised, and then it's up to two friends to resolve their issues and work it out.

We resolved our issue and I'm still very close friends with this boy.

In my school and college and now at work, I'm the only Muslim.

Most people say they can't believe I'm a Muslim.

I think it's partly the media which is responsible for this image of Muslims - they are always portraying the hardliners.

During weekends, I go out for dinner or movies and hang out with my friends. I watched Harry Potter and Die Hard. I listen to Metallica, Green Day and Bryan Adams and my favourites."