Two Muslim students win Ramayana quiz, say 'all Indians must learn the epics'

A Muslim student named Mohammed Basith M surprised everyone with his deep knowledge of the Indian epic Ramayana in the town of Valanchery in Kerala. Although Ramayana is generally considered to be a significant part of Hindu mythology, the college student got almost all the questions right and even showed exemplary understanding of the verses. Basith’s knowledge was just not restricted to the questions as he effortless recited the verses from “Adhyatma Ramayanam”.

When asked about his favourite part of Ramayana, the studentpicked "Ayodhya Kanda" – which speaks about the worthlessness of kingdom and power – and even recited it effortlessly.

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Basith, however, is not familiar with the Sanskrit version and his knowledge comes from Adhyatma Ramayanam - the Malayalam version written by Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan.

According to PTI, the quiz competition organised by major publishing house DC Books as part of the ongoing ‘Ramayana Month’ celebrations was won by Basith and his college mate-friend Mohammed Jabir P K. Both of them are currently students of KKSM Islamic and Arts College at Valanchery.

“All Indians must read and learn the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata as they are part of the country’s culture, tradition and history. I believe that it is our responsibility to learn and understand these texts,” Jabir told PTI in an interview after the win.

“Rama had to sacrifice even his kingdom to fulfil the promise to his beloved father Dasaratha. While living in a period of endless struggles for power, we should draw inspiration from characters like Rama and the message of epics like Ramayana,” the 22-year-old student added.

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(With inputs from agencies)