Junagadh: Riyaz Rangununwala, a devout Muslim, brought cheers to 80 elderly people from five old age homes in Gujarat's Junagadh on Sunday when Diwali was celebrated across the country.
He along with his friends took those elderly people to temples on Diwali day. Due to the act of Riyaz and his friends, Junagadh's Diwali has become a talking point in circles as the festive day truly became a unique example of communal amity in days of communal disharmony in some parts.
The manager of Radha Meera Bus also allotted two of his buses free of cost to serve the elderly so that all the elderly persons can have 'Dev darshan' in and around Junagadh town. Starting from home, all the elders were taken by bus first to Bhavnath temple and then to all the ancient and big temples of the town alongside some other places of pilgrimage. Setting a precedent, Riyaz Rangunwala, who rose above religious dogma to help elderly persons celebrate Diwali in the true sense, has lived up to the spirit of the festival of colours, a local said. They also provided hearty meals to all the elderly people.
For the last six years except the Corona period, Riyaz has been celebrating Diwali in a unique way by taking elderly people living in old age homes to temples. "Keeping in mind the health of the elderly people during the Corona period, it was not possible to make such a plan on Diwali. After Covid subsided, we have started taking elderly persons on religious trips in and around Junagadh again," Riyaz Rangunwala said.
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