- Saturday, July 27, 2024
Keshav Maharaj wished the Indian consul general in Johannesburg and the entire Indian diaspora in South Africa all the best for the temple’s inauguration.
By: Shubham Ghosh
SOUTH AFRICA’S Hindu spinner Keshav Maharaj, who likes walking in to the cricket ground to the devotional tune of ‘Ram Siya Ram’, has hailed the consecration ceremony at the Ram Temple in the northern temple town of Ayodhya, hoping that it brings peace and harmony to the entire humanity.
The 33-year-old posted a video on his social media pages to hail the ‘pran pratishtha’ (consecration) ceremony which was led by prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday (22).
“I want to wish Mahesh Kumar (Consul General of India in Johannesburg) and the entire Indian community in South Africa all the best for the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodha. May it bring peace, harmony and spiritual enlightenment to one and all,” Maharaj, who has more than 230 international wickets across three formats, said.
In a recent to interview to Indian news agency Press Trust of India, the left-arm spinner, who has his roots in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh where Ayodhya is located, spoke about his devotion to Lord Ram.
Looking forward to the opening of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. May it bring peace and enlightenment to one and all. ? @MaheshIFS pic.twitter.com/P8TGT8tteX
— Keshav Maharaj (@keshavmaharaj16) January 21, 2024
When he walks into the middle during a game in South Africa, the in-house DJ makes it a point to play ‘Ram Siya Ram, Jai Jai Ram’.
According to him, the song in the background gets him “into the zone”.
“For me, God’s been my greatest blessing and if I get an opportunity it’s the least I can do and it gets you in the zone and get that respect from other players. Respecting religion and culture is important, it’s a nice feeling to hear ‘Ram Siya Ram’ being played in the background,” Maharaj had said earlier this month.
The new Ram Lalla idol was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on Monday, an event watched by millions on television at their homes and in temples across India.
Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria, who is also a Hindu by birth, also hailed the consecration ceremony and posted a picture of Modi inaugurating the temple with the Hindi caption “Jai Jai Shree Ram” (Hail Lord Ram).
जय जय श्री राम। https://t.co/HDssYXb6SF
— Danish Kaneria (@DanishKaneria61) January 22, 2024
