The family of Dr Mohammed Ali, a Keralite Ayurveda practitioner in Moscow. He and Dr Unnikrishnan (Left) pioneered the ancient Indian medical system in Russia about two decades ago.As I was charting out plans to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on my own, I received a surprise invitation from a family in Moscow to join them for the Iftar party. Dr Mohammed Ali, an Ayurveda practitioner in Moscow, hails from Kondotty in Malappuram district. As his family lives far away from where I stay, I got up very early on Saturday to get ready.
Eid celebrations are largely subdued in Moscow. There are four major mosques in the capital. The most famous one is the Moscow Cathedral Mosque in Prospekt Mira. Its main golden dome and tall minaret reflect the style of many Orthodox churches. The original structure, built in 1904, was demolished and rebuilt in 2011, and is now one of the biggest mosques in the country.
The reason for reconstruction was that the building deviated by several degrees from the direction to Mecca. Hundreds of people arrive here every day during Ramadan to break the fast. The sumptuous feasts are sponsored by embassies of different countries in Moscow.
As the road leading to the Cathedral Mosque was brimming with people attending the prayers, I could not go anywhere near it. So I decided to go to a mosque located adjacent to the Park Pobedy metro station. That place too was crowded, forcing me to perform namaz at a garden nearby. This mosque is under direct control of the Russian government. It was constructed in honour of the Muslim soldiers who sacrificed their lives in World War II. There is a church and a Jewish Synagogue in its vicinity, both built by the government.
Russia is a multi-ethnic and multi-faith nation. Apart from major religions such as Christianity and Islam, there are several unique ethnic groups in the country. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the spiritual fall of Communism, there has been a revival of religious movements throughout Russia.
Religious pluralism is a political priority for Russian president Vladimir Putin. That is the reason why Kremlin is backing the Ramzan Kadyrov-headed government in the Russia's predominantly Muslim region of Chechnya. For the country, it is also a matter of guaranteeing opportunities for its main strategic sectors and claiming a privileged political relationship with the Arab-Muslim world.
The Egypt team for the World Cup is camping in the Chechen capital Grozny. A photograph of Egyptian star striker Mohamed Salah walking around the pitch with Kadyrov had caused a stir on social media last week.
Finally, I reached Dr Mohammed Ali’s house after a long journey. It is a Russian house in every sense, and there is a reason for that! The wife of Dr Mohammed, who arrived in Russia 22 years ago, is a local woman – Innna- who was his colleague. Their wedding took place in Kerala in 2004. The couple has three children – Asya, Arisha, and Deena. They all speak Russian at home, and Dr Mohammed is the only one in the family who knows Malayalam.
Dr Unnikrishnan, a native of Tirur who works as an Ayurveda doctor in Moscow, also joined us. These two and Dr Noushad, who hails from Edavanna in Malappuram district, were the three who pioneered the ancient Indian medical system in Russia about two decades ago. Currently, there are over ten Ayurveda clinics in Moscow, offering natural remedies for various ailments as well as Yoga classes and Panchakarma therapy.
The dishes, however, were not of Russian cuisine. The rice item was something similar to our ghee rice. It was served with beef curry, kadai chicken, and tomato fry. It was a perfect example of food as a cultural bridge as we savoured the delicious diversity of our own pappadam and palada pradhaman along with Russian cherries and berries.
When I laid my hand on pappadams, little Arisha raised her head with a doleful look on her face and pushed the bowl containing pradhaman towards me. "Please help yourself, but don’t finish off my favourite pappadams," she told me in Russian, sending everyone into peals of laughter.
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