Muslim trio guards Ram idol in Uttar Pradesh

One of the three even stitches traditional clothes for 'Ram lalla' (infant Ram) idol

Heavy rain and storms often break the barbed wire guarding the perimeter of the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. For the last two decades the Public Works Department (PWD) has enlisted the help of Abdul Wahid to help secure the temple in such a situation. The 38-year-old welder, armed with rusty plasma cutters and gas rods, is paid Rs 250 per day but believes the real payment is the joy he feels while performing this task

Sadiq Ali stitches kurtas, pagdis and other traditional clothes but he specially enjoys stitching clothes for the “Ram lalla” (infant Ram) idol every few months at the behest of the head priest of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple. “God is one for all of us,” says Ali.
His friend, Mehboob, takes care of the electricity work at most of the temples in the town. He became a regular feature at these temples after he used a three-phase motor to excavate underground water near Sita Kund for the community kitchen at Ram Janmabhoomi in 1995. He is also ensures that the site where the Ram Lalla idol is kept is lit up at all times.


"I began working at the temple in 1994 when I was learning the ropes of electrical work from my father. I am an Indian and Hindus are my brothers. They bring wires and other material from Kanpur and I fit them. The work I do makes me proud," Wahid told the Times of India.

He recalled when five LeT men drove a jeep into the security cordon and launched a grenade attack at the makeshift Ram temple in 2005. "Since then, I have been making barriers and repairing them outside the temple. Terrorism knows no religion. Like me, there are many CRPF and policemen who work round the clock," added Wahid.
Ali told TOI, "For the last 50 years, my family, I and my son have been stitching clothes for Hindus, including priests and saints. I have been making sadris (jackets) for all petitioners in the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid dispute — right from the days of Ramchandra Das Paramhans till the recent heads of Hanumangarhi Temple or Kanak Bhawan's Ramesh Das. But what gives me the greatest satisfaction is making satin outfits for Ram Lalla," said Ali.


The three friends often meet over tea or take long walks with priests along the banks of the Saryu river.
"We hope to see a continuation of the tradition of peace, worship and brotherhood at Ayodhya," said Bansi Lal Maurya, who oversees the Ram Janmabhoomi site on behalf of the Faizabad commissioner.

This story originally appeared in the Times of India