Father Roy Joseph Vadakkan’s openness in accepting practices of all religions may surprise you. The Catholic priest has the habit of fasting during Ramzan and reading the Ramayana every year
Thrissur: Father Roy Joseph Vadakkan reads the Ramayana during Malayalam month Karkidakam and fasts during Ramzan season as an annual practice.
Jyothi Engineering College head priest Vadakkan was attracted to vedic texts and epics during classes on Indian philosophy in the seminary. He has been reading the Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana for many years.
To the question on whether the Catholic community is accepting of his practice, he answered stating that Catholic itself is universal. He also said that the Ramayana exhorts people to fight against evil and stand up for what is right.
According to him, all people are not open minded towards other religions but there is a fact that all religious texts teach the value of peace, love and kindness.
The Malayalam month Karkidakam commenced on July 17. The month is dedicated to the reading of the Ramayana and other rituals connected to Lord Rama. He said that the Ramayana taught him that people should always stand up for the right and oppose the wrong even if a family member is in the wrong.
During the Ramayana month, many devotees take part in daily Ramayana reading sessions at temples while some read the epic in the comfort of their homes.
The priest also fasts during the month of Ramzan.
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