The spirit of Giving reigns supreme : Vegetarian Iftar for Muslims who helped restore a Temple in Kerala

Malappuram in Kerala is a district that has a high density of Mulsim population. The community here is very attuned to living in harmony. When the age-old  Shree Narasimhamoorthy Temple in Punnathala needed a massive restoration, the Muslim community whole heartedly turned out their pockets and support.

“Here we live like a single family. We consult each other on important occasions. In fact, the suggestion to renovate the age-old temple came from some Muslim families of the area,” temple committee secretary PT Mohanan said, adding that a major chunk of expense (around Rs 20 lakh) was borne by Muslims.

The neglected temple was in ruins when the shrine committee took up the renovation and deity restoration. The centuries old idol of the presiding deity, Lord Vishnu in the Narasimha avatar,was reinstalled on Sunday.

Mohanan said the tiny village was a classic example of religious unity and that people who always think and work on communal lines should take a lesson from it.

Food brings us Together

Initially, the temple was planning a mass banquet but later changed its plan and decided to host an iftar .More than 400 hundred people attended the fully vegetarian Iftar last Wednesday.“For us, it is the festival of the area not of a particular community,” T Asainar, a teacher, said.

All this happening amid the horrific rows about the beef ban all over the country truly goes to show that food is something that brings a community together and should not be something that tears them apart.