Colourful processions with little children dressed as Krishnas and Gopikas marked Sree Krishna Jayanti celebrations in the streets of Kozhikode on September 6, Wednesday. Among the hundreds of children who took part in the Sobha Yatra organised by the district unit of Balagokulam, 8-year-old Muhammed Yahiya, a Muslim boy’s participation, dressed as Hindu god Krishna stood out. Yahiya, who was in his wheelchair, told the media that he loved to be dressed as Sree Krishna, and his mother helped him. His mother Rubiya accompanied him wearing a purdah throughout the Sobha Yatra, without even considering the rains.

“It rained heavily, but it was okay as I wished to dress up like Krishna. My mother dressed me up this way,” Yahiya told the media, waving his hands to the people who gathered on either side of the road to watch the procession. Yahiya has physical disabilities and can move around only with the help of a wheelchair.

Speaking to reporters, Rubiya also said that she just supported her son’s wish to get dressed as Sree Krishna and take part in the procession. “We did this for his happiness, not for any publicity. This is the first time we are taking part in the procession,” she said. 

Yahiya is a student of Bilathikulam BEM Upper Primary school, studying Class 3. The organisers of the procession said that Yahiya had expressed his wish to participate in Sobha Yatra procession Jayanti last year itself.