Any small move so far by concerned citizens to restore the grave met with swift and decisive action against it by the powers under whose nose it was razed. Much water has flown beneath the Subhash Bridge near which the grave was located, since then. The state Government has even set up a Vali Gujarat Ghazal Kendra to the perpetuate memory of the legendary poet, who pioneered Ghazal in Urdu. But a cryptic, deafening silence remains to all pleas for restoration.

It was often feared that any effort to physically restore the grave would charge up passions in the area, which could lead to a new communal strife. The apprehension, though, does not hold ground because the venue is in the vicinity of the police headquarters.

Dignitaries, including former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral, have expressed surprise not only at the incident but also at the non-restoration of the grave. He has favoured its rebuilding at the earliest, but to no avail.

It is also not that the state government has never heard of Vali or his contribution.

Two years ago in the state Budget, Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala had announced setting up of the "Vali Gujarati Ghazal Kendra" for the promotion of Ghazal as a literary form of expression.

The promise was met and the Kendra was set up under poet Chinu Modi. A magazine called "Ghazal Vishwa" was also started under its aegis. However, not a single rupee was allocated for the restoration of the grave of the very man in whose memory the Kendra was set up.

Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, the high profile association of Gujarati writers, maintained a safe distance and remained indifferent to the issue. The Urdu Sahitya Academy had its own limitations and restrictions in speaking up despite being an "autonomous body". Others like the Gujarati Lekhak Mandal and Pragatisheel Lekhak Sangh, despite their best intentions, could not break the ice.