Fourteen-year old Ayesha Belicha, a native of Radhanpur, knows whole chapters of Bhagvad Gita by heart. Ask her about the second stanza of the book’s ninth chapter and she will recite it with perfect diction. She is one of the five Muslim girls from city-based Prakash Andh Kanya Vidyalaya who on Sunday made it to the finals of the Gita recitation competition organized by a religious organization, Adhyatma Vidya Mandir.
“I was not exposed to the Gita at all before the competition.
But with encouragement and the constant support of my teachers, I started understanding the meaning of the shlokas that I recite. It is not about reli gion but about an overall philosophy of life,” said Ayesha.