- Sunday, May 05, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
In an example of communal harmony, a couple of temple committees in Malappuram in the southern Indian state of Kerala recently organised a mass iftar for members of the Muslim community in the holy month of Ramadan.
According to a report by The New Indian Express, committees of Sree Puthuveppu Manaliyarkavu Bhagavathi temple in Othalur and Chathangadu Sree Maha Vishnu Temple in Vaniyannur near Tirur hosted the Iftar on the respective temple’s grounds on April 7 and March 28, respectively.
Muslims took part in both the events.
Krishnan Pavittapuram, secretary of the Sree Puthuveppu Manaliyarkavu Bhagavathi temple, was quoted as saying by the newspaper, “It was an initiative taken by a group of youngsters in the area. Our aim is to strengthen the bond between people from the Hindu and Muslim communities. Religious harmony is important and we want to celebrate every festival together in a peaceful and jovial atmosphere.”
Dijith K, one of the youngsters behind the Iftar, said a Muslim person had sponsored the ‘annadanam’ (donating food) during the temple’s annual installation festival, which coincided with the Ramadan this year.
“We will continue to organise the mass Iftar in the coming years,” he was quoted as saying.
For the Chathangadu Sree Maha Vishnu Temple, this is the second Iftar they have organised.
“Like the previous year, people from the Muslim community could not attend the ‘annadanam’ this year as our annual installation festival fell during the Ramzan month. So, we organised the mass Iftar a day after the annual festival. We will organise it next year if the date of the annual installation festival falls during Ramzan month,” Lakshmanan K K, temple committee secretary told The New Indian Express.
Panakkad Rasheed Ali Shihab Thangal, an Indian Union Muslim League leader who took part in the Iftar at Vaniyannur, lauded the temple’s move and said it set up an example for others to follow.
“The temple has set a model for others to follow. All communities should live in harmony in the country. We should move forward while respecting and helping each other. There should be no space for hatred in our hearts,” he was quoted as saying.
Kerala is India’s only Left-ruled state.
