Ramadan or Ramazan is the holy month of strict discipline for Muslims all over the world. It ends with the celebration of Eid festival. The festival marks the end of the fasting month of Ramzan for the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims.
Jharkhand Finance Minister, Dr Rameshwar Oraon, being a Hindu kept fast during Ramadan for 35 years.
The minister was a student of the Department of Economics in one of the oldest universities of India, Patna University. At that time, he had a classmate and also a roommate, Mohammad Iqbal who was the resident of Purnia. Oraon began fasting during Ramadan with Iqbal.
The Jharkhand Finance Minister said, “After the college was over, Iqbal and I were separated. Then, after the IPS selection process of 1972 batch, he was appointed as Reserve Superintendent (SP) in Chaibasa in 1977 where he was invited by Mohammad Sharif during Ramadan. At that time I felt that the fasting had been stopped since 1969, and thus, from 1977, I began to fast every year even as a police officer”.
Year after year, with all sincerity and faith, from Sehri to Iftar, he would give an iftar and also attend the iftar of others. The series continued till the IPS job and later he became a Member of Parliament.
After returning from Leh as Chairman of the National Tribal Commission in 2014, Oraon stopped fasting due to a lack of oxygen in his body. He further left fasting during Ramadan after the demise of his wife in 2015.
He further said, “I am a Hindu tribal, but consider myself close to Buddha’s idea”.
Recalling his good old friend during college days Iqbal, he said he had been in contact with Iqbal for several years after college but could not keep up after Iqbal went to a Gulf country.
The finance minister said, “Religious tolerance and respect for other religion is not practiced by people these days. Whichever religion we belong to or whatever prayer system we adopt, humanity is above all religion”.
Dr Rameshwar Oraon received President Police Medal during his Police service.
