Ramzan Mubarak to all of you, no matter where are you from, what faith you follow, even if you do not believe in anything. I believe that religion must exist only in our personal spheres.
I have learned about Islam during my days in my native village in the Bihar. I have not studied anything specific about religion, but learned love, compassion, respect, responsibility, and most importantly – equality. I learned all this, not through textual knowledge, but by seeing my elders interacting with people of all faiths and backgrounds with equal respect.
I can recall one instance, when I was in class 8, my father was started searching for a good tutor to teach us at home in the village. He found one young gentleman, his name was Ram Kishun Ram and he was very good in Math and Science. He started coming to our home to teach me. Many people enquired with my father and shared their discomfort about a person from the Dalit community coming to teach us at our home. My father, who was a high school teacher himself, responded, ‘He is qabil (qualified) and we needed a teacher for our kids. I don’t look at someone’s caste or religion.’ Eventually, apart from being a really good teacher to us, he became a close family friend too.
One other lesson I have learned in my village is from Islamic scholars, both of whom are no longer in this world. I had many chances to listen to them at religious congregations in our village and beyond that, they were close with my father and grandfather. Many times, I ponder over their vision and thoughts. They never talked about any hatred for other religions or sects, always focused on rationality, their entire massages were based on brotherhood, love and compassion. They were well-versed with contemporary issues and national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
I also cannot forget my high school teacher Devendra Nath Jha. He was a true follower of Mahatma Gandhi. While he mostly taught literature and science, he could teach any subject. He would even take Urdu classes whenever our Urdu teacher was not available. He was a great teacher and dedicated his life to serving others. After regular classes would end, he would take extra classes for students who needed help. He was also well versed in primary healthcare and would help out poor people in smaller tolas (hamlets). I used to call him Devendra babu, that was the culture in our place. Whatever I learned from Devendra babu, I cannot quantify in words but I always try to implement it in my own life.
I had a great learning experience with my family as well. I still remember, when I started learning about Karl Marx and his thoughts. I can recall a conversation with my father about religion as an “opium of the people” while both of us walked towards the masjid for namaz one cold evening. My father never discouraged me to think critically.
This is a really difficult time for all human beings, and this month of Ramzan can be used to extend help for all the people, no matter what their religion, sexuality or race. Muslims should learn from our Sikh brothers and sisters who are organizing food and other necessary things for the needy.