This Muslim youth serves at Gorakhnath temple, shares special bond with UP CM - Read

Lucknow: Man Mohammad is one of the volunteers who serve at the famed Gorakhnath temple whose head priest is now the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

He shares a special bond with the temple's mahant Yogi Adityanath.

Mohammad hails from a poor family and he has been serving at the temple’s cow shelter since the age of 10, Hindustan Times reported.

He took over the baton from his father Inayatullah who himself was a volunteer at the temple when mahant Digvijay Nath and mahant Avaidyanath were the high priests.

Mohammad is unmarried and like other volunteers, he is paid a nominal amount and given food for his services, the report said.

Though he follows Islamic practices that doesn’t come in the way of sharing cordial relations with his Hindu colleagues.

“I have spent my childhood at the temple and it is like my home. I will continue working here for the rest of my life as Yogiji has given a lot of respect and love to me,” HT quoted Mohammad as saying.

“Yogiji likes my dedication towards the service of cows and he doesn’t take his breakfast till he himself feeds the cows,” he added.

“Though he (Yogi) has the image of a Hindutva hardliner but when it comes to personal bonding, he stands for everyone, irrespective of religious identity,” Mohammad was quoted as saying.