VARANASI: Amid violence and politics in the name of 'gau raksha' (cow protection), it comes as a heart-warming gesture for locals to see a Muslim youth, dressed in saffron, talking about rearing and serving cows.
Mohammed Faiz Khan from Raipur (Chhattishgarh) is on a 12,000 km foot march - 'Gau Seva Sadbhavana Padyatra' - from Leh to Kanyakumari and then to Amritsar to generate mass awareness about cow protection, cow rearing, medicinal qualities of milk and its products. Covering a distance of 2100km he reached Varanasi on October 28, and left for Mughalsarai on Wednesday. Walking at a speed of 20-25km per day he is expected to reach Amritsar in January 2019.
He said that the main objective of this yatra is to spread a message of communal harmony through the 'seva' (service) of Gau Mata (cow). "We should serve and protect the cow, which is the savior of mankind," he said adding that it is unfortunate to see violence in the name of cow protection.
"I began the journey from Leh on the occasion of 'Sindhu Darshan Utsava' on June 24," Faiz told TOI while leaving for Mughalsarai. The yatra will complete in two phases. The states including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu are being covered in the first phase, while in the second phase from Kanyakumari to Amritsar the yatra will pass through Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, and Punjab.
Earlier, Faiz also held a series of 'Gau Kathas' at various places to highlight the importance of cow. A novel 'Ek Gai ki Atmakatha' inspired him to dedicate his life for the cause of cows, said Faiz. Instead of going to madarsa he received his primary education in Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Raipur, and he did MA in Hindi and political science. After teaching at a government college for two years he left the job and set on a journey to save cows.
During his four-day stay in Varanasi Faiz took part in programmes organised by various organisations in different parts of the city. The yatra has been organised by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an affiliated body of RSS.
Mohammed Faiz Khan from Raipur (Chhattishgarh) is on a 12,000 km foot march - 'Gau Seva Sadbhavana Padyatra' - from Leh to Kanyakumari and then to Amritsar to generate mass awareness about cow protection, cow rearing, medicinal qualities of milk and its products. Covering a distance of 2100km he reached Varanasi on October 28, and left for Mughalsarai on Wednesday. Walking at a speed of 20-25km per day he is expected to reach Amritsar in January 2019.
He said that the main objective of this yatra is to spread a message of communal harmony through the 'seva' (service) of Gau Mata (cow). "We should serve and protect the cow, which is the savior of mankind," he said adding that it is unfortunate to see violence in the name of cow protection.
"I began the journey from Leh on the occasion of 'Sindhu Darshan Utsava' on June 24," Faiz told TOI while leaving for Mughalsarai. The yatra will complete in two phases. The states including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu are being covered in the first phase, while in the second phase from Kanyakumari to Amritsar the yatra will pass through Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, and Punjab.
Earlier, Faiz also held a series of 'Gau Kathas' at various places to highlight the importance of cow. A novel 'Ek Gai ki Atmakatha' inspired him to dedicate his life for the cause of cows, said Faiz. Instead of going to madarsa he received his primary education in Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Raipur, and he did MA in Hindi and political science. After teaching at a government college for two years he left the job and set on a journey to save cows.
During his four-day stay in Varanasi Faiz took part in programmes organised by various organisations in different parts of the city. The yatra has been organised by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an affiliated body of RSS.
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