Fifty-three-year-old Jameela and 17-year-old Ansila are both Muslims but their lives revolve around a Hindu temple  in Kerala.  Jameela is deaf and dumb and earns a living by working at the temple. While Ansila says that she would never have completed her schooling after her father’s death, if the temple authorities hadn’t stepped in to help. So, what inspires an orthodox Hindu temple to go this length to salvage the lives of two Muslim women?

“This temple always had good relations with other religious communities. We strongly believe in the teachings of Sri Narayana Guru, who said that we must help the needy, no matter which community they belong to,” says the President of Raja Rajeswari Temple. For all the preachers of religious harmony, this temple in southern Kerala is sending a strong signal: practice what you preach.

Read more: Communal harmony