India has its share of challenges due to its religious diversity, but there are many examples everyday that prove that despite these issues, we are a country that often celebrates and embraces different cultures, ethnicities and religions.
The perfect example for this are Mohammed Basith M and Mohammed Jabir, two Muslim college students from Kerala who recently won an online quiz on Ramayana as part of the Ramayana month by publishing major DC Books. Both Basith and Jabir are the students of Wafy programme, an eight year-course at the KKSM Islamic and Arts College at Valanchery in Kerala.
Mohammed Basith M, the final year student, in his conversation with PTI, said that his favourite verse from Ramayana is the “Ayodhya Kanda“ and he can not only recite the verses from the epic fluently, but can even explain them in depth. As per the PTI report, Jabir, the fifth year student said, "All Indians must read and learn the epics Ramayana and Mahabharatha as they are part of the country's culture, tradition and history. I believe that it is our responsibility to learn and understand these texts,"
During their Wafy course, Basith and Jabir learnt and studied about Hindu epics including the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The course consists of books and texts from various religions.
Both Basith and Jabir believe that no religion promotes hatred, and their only goal is to spread harmony and peace. They further added that reading literature and texts from different religions will help us understand different faiths and people better.
(With inputs from PTI)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)