It was out of curiosity that Dr Lekhraj Lalwani observed a fast for the first time in Ramazan. Over the years, it has been become a matter of spirituality that has made him continue the routine. “I am even fasting right now,” he told The Express Tribune over the phone on Friday.
The doctor, a follower of the Hindu faith, claims he was six years old when he observed his first roza.
“Some of my fellow-students were fasting and I wanted to know why they were doing so,” he reminisces. “So I decided not to eat or drink anything just like them,” says the 40-year-old, recalling the childhood days he spent in a government school in Malir Khokhrapar.
The family was shocked to hear about his fast. His father was very angry. “He would try to stop me and would take away my cycle to make me break the fast. I was young and I told him I just wanted to see what it was about.”
As he grew older, fasting in the month of Ramazan became more of a habit. Lalwani came to believe that God was the same for everyone, no matter what religion they followed. “God is everywhere for everyone. All the religions preach the same thing: to do good and stay away from evil.”
With several Muslim friends who celebrate the Hindu festivals of Diwali and Holi with him and his family, Lalwani’s house is home to statues of Hindu deities as well as Islamic literature.
Categories: Asia