Vandazhi/ Palakkad: Pramod Thandalod, an elected representative of Vandazhi Panchayat in Palakkad, is observing the Ramadan fast alongside his Muslim friends, fostering love and unity in the face of those who try to divide people in the name of religion.

Pramod said his daughter, Kaniska, inspired him to undertake the fast as a way to empathise with the hunger and sacrifice of others. Pramod was inspired to fast for four days last year after seeing his seventh-grade daughter observe Ramadan with her Muslim classmates.

This year, Pramod has been observing the fast from the beginning of Ramadan. He begins the fast at home with the pre-dawn meal and breaks it in the evening at the Niskarappalli mosque in Palamokku, together with his Muslim friends. A Yusuf, a committee member at the Palamokku mosque, said the mosque committee invited Pramod to break his fast there each day after learning he was observing Ramadan fast.

“These gatherings are essential to strengthen harmony among people,” said Pramod, a Youth Congress leader and member of ward eight in  Vandazhi Panchayat.