Thiruvananthapuram: A Christian priest’s home at Kochi in Kerala witnessed a Hindu last rites on Monday. Father O J Jacob of the Orthodox Christian church initiated the Hindu funeral rituals for Parvathy Amma, 88, who ha…

Thiruvananthapuram: A Christian priest’s home at Kochi in Kerala witnessed a Hindu last rites on Monday. Father O J Jacob of the Orthodox Christian church initiated the Hindu funeral rituals for Parvathy Amma, 88, who has been a domestic help for around 25 years. The heartwarming incident at Chottanikkara has gone viral on social media with many highlighting it as yet another instance of  the ‘real Kerala story’ of communal harmony. Amma joined as maid at Jacob’s home primarily to take care of his daughter after his wife passed away around 25 years back. A native of Kochi, Amma did not have any close relatives. As years passed by, Amma almost became a family member in Jacob’s home.  ‘The real Kerala story’ | Imam asks to open mosques for Attukal Pongala devotees, video goes viral Over these years Amma was free to follow her Hindu beliefs in Fr Jacob’s home and she even used to perform rituals like ‘Vishukani’ in the home. Till the recent days she used to carry out all household jobs despite her age related health issues. After she fell ill, she was hospitalised. She died on Sunday. “As she has been following Hindu beliefs I made the arrangements to conduct her last rites in Hindu customs. I didn’t even feel like doing anything different,” the priest told the media. Kerala is often hailed for communal harmony and mutual respect to religious beliefs and customs. Hence, films that hurt the communal harmony of the state often faced strong resistance. 

Source: Deccan Herald