Ever since the release of the film 'The Kerala Story', social media has been abuzz with stories of communal harmony and unity from the state of Kerala. This is our initiative to highlight some of these stories.
Exactly a year ago, in May 2022, Malappuram saw 20 mosques joining hands to raise funds for a 38-year-old auto driver named Ragesh Babu. For those who stood in front of the mosques after prayers, with boxes labelled ‘Ragesh Babu treatment fund’ in their hands, the religion of Ragesh did not matter. All they wanted was for him to regain health and lead a peaceful life.
According to a The Hindu report, Ragesh Babu had been living with a transplanted kidney from his mother for around 12 years. However, it failed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated another surgery. He needed at least Rs 1.5 lakh for the surgery and hospitalisation expenses for which the places of worship decided to raise money.
On May 6, 2022, after Friday prayers, volunteers stood outside mosques and within minutes they had collected Rs 1.38 lakh. “We did not even think about his religion when we decided to raise funds for his treatment. We were exploring all possible sources for the funds, and mosques were just one source,” a volunteer raising money for Ragesh, Basim Pari, had told The Hindu.
In a similar instance, also in Malappuram, a mosque and two temples joined hands to raise funds for the treatment of an 18-year-old, who was diagnosed with cancer. The Telegraph reported that the woman Hanna’s father was trying to raise money for the treatment of his daughter.
Together, the temples and the mosque collected Rs 1.48 crore in just a few days, with people across the district and elsewhere in the state contributing. Those from the Alukkal Juma Masjid had informed the committees in Kuttipurathukavu Bhagavathy Temple and Narasimha Moorthy Temple - both existing within hundreds of metres from each other - about the fund-raising. The temples readily handed over Rs 50,000 and Rs 27,000 from their own funds, and the trio formed a joint-committee to raise money for her treatment.
Of the total amount, Rs 70 lakh was utilised for the treatment of Hanna and the remaining money was divided and distributed to others in need.