This young 14-year-old from the city is the perfect example of secular and inclusive thought. Shaikh Mohiuddin won a quiz competition that was held by Iskon recently. Yet, what’s surprising is that this Muslim boy won a Bhagavad Gita competition where he answered all the 41 questions correctly. Talking to him during his lunch hour in school, we find out how winning this competition changed his thinking.
Innocent and refreshingly unjaded, Shaikh is quick to mention that his teacher, parents and his grandmother gave him all the supported he needed. He shares, “I have always been keen on participating in competitions especially quizzes. Apart from teachers, parents and my grandmother who helped me learn the verses of the Gita, my friend Dhanush inspired me.” His grandmother has a major role to play in his winning the competition. “When I was unable to understand the main points, she explained and helped me understand them,” says this youngster who only recently started reading the Bhagavad Gita. A student of Subhash Memorial School, Shaikh adds, “My school ensures that during assembly, they teach us about the various Holy Scriptures.” On the process he went through to be a part of this competition, Shaikh shares, “The organisers had distributed pamphlets at school. Along with me, there were 46 students who participated and a total of 14 schools were a part of this open competition.” Although it was hard for Shaikh to grasp something that he hadn’t read before, he managed to get all the 41 questions right.
Having read the Quran as well, Shaikh finds that rather than their differences, there are more similarities in both the holy books. He explains, “Both the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita have the same message; all religions are equal, God is one and also one should never fight because of religion.” Winning this particular quiz has changed his perspective, and it is a very special memory for him. He adds, “By winning this quiz, I wanted to prove that there is no difference between all the holy books. They all teach us how to lead a peaceful life.” Shaikh has set goals for himself now, to be able to read all the other Holy Scriptures in the future. “I think reading the books will help me lead a peaceful and happy life. I would love to read the Bible in the future.”
