Last Updated on 6 years by Mumbai Metro City
Maryam, 12 years old is a Std VI student of Cosmopolitan High School in Mira Road.
Here is what Maryam says:
“What saddens me is that while all the holy books talk about humanity and the virtue of giving one’s life for another human being, many people in our society misunderstand the teachings. One of my favourite chapters was the one with the dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjun, just before the war. Shri Krishna explains to Arjun why, even though the war was with their enemies, he chose not to hurt them. No religion teaches us to hurt one another,” said Maryam.
Maryam was Surprised when Mid-day was interested in taking her interview:
On Thursday, when mid-day visited Maryam and her family, she was busy preparing for her ongoing final exams. Maryam seemed surprised that we were interested in writing about her. “Why should I be any different? Why treat me differently just because I am from another religion? Even in school, we have never treated each other differently on the basis of caste or religion,” said the 12-year-old, adding that her parents had taught her to treat everyone alike.
Here is what Maryam’s father says:
“I have always taught my children not to differentiate between religions. In the end, God is the same and even though my children attend classes to understand the Quran, they have been taught to take equal interest in other books and religions,” said Maryam’s father Asif Siddiqui, who works as an editor with a Hindi magazine called Vartaman Media.
The awards for the contest were distributed in Worli on March 15.
Update – 7 April 2015:
Why Maryam Siddiqui is a good news for people with secular ideology: Maryam Siddiqui emerged as the ray of hope for a wide population that believes in secularism. The 12-year old girl studying in grade 6th in Mumbai’s Cosmopolitan School topped the Gita Champions League (GCL) 2015, organised by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in January.
The little shy girl residing in Mira Road, a Mumbai suburb, is the centre of limelight, as people have been marvelling at her ability to know about Gita. Despite coming from a traditional middle-class Muslim family, Maryam could learn and answer most of the questions asked in the GCL based on Bhagvad Gita, most sacred Holy book of the Hindus. The success of Maryam at the GCL has warmed the hearts of millions of people who felt that this was the new beginning in bridging the religious divide in the society.
Read More: http://uk.blastingnews.com/education/2015/04/why-maryam-siddiqui-is-a-good-news-for-people-with-secular-ideology-00338473.html
Update – 8 April 2015:
Mariyam Asif Siddiqui was felicitated by Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. The Governor had invited Mariyam alongwith her parents and teachers to Raj Bhavan on Tuesday (7 April) to convey his appreciation to Mariyam. Applauding Mariyam’s efforts, the Governor presented her a set of books.
Update – 17 April 2015:
Mariyam Asif Siddiqui is now a global icon, recently feature in Gulfnews.com
Read More – http://gulfnews.com/news/asia/india/muslim-girl-aces-contest-on-hindu-scripture-1.1493752
