'Jai Shri Ram': South African cricketer Keshav Maharaj's message on Ram temple consecration ceremony

Johannesburg, January 22

South African spinner Keshav Maharaj, who likes walking in to the devotional tune of ‘Ram Siya Ram’ on the cricket field, has hailed the consecration ceremony at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, hoping that it brings peace and harmony to the entire humanity.

The 33-year-old posted a video on his social media pages to hail the pran pratishtha ceremony which was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.

“I want to wish Mahesh Kumar (Consul General of India in Johannesburg) and the entire Indian community in South Africa all the best for the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodha. May it bring peace, harmony and spiritual enlightenment to one and all,” Maharaj said.

In a recent interview, the left-arm spinner, who has his roots in Uttar Pradesh where the temple town of Ayodhya is located, spoke about his devotion to Lord Ram.

When he walks into the middle during a game in South Africa, the in-house DJ makes it a point to play ‘Ram Siya Ram, Jai Jai Ram’. According to him, the song in the background gets him “into the zone”.

“For me, God’s been my greatest blessing. If I get an opportunity, it’s the least I can do. It gets you in the zone and gets that respect from other players. Respecting religion and culture is important. It’s a nice feeling to hear ‘Ram Siya Ram’ being played in the background,’ Maharaj had said earlier this month.

The new Ram Lalla idol was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple, an event watched by lakhs of people on television at their homes and in temples across India.