A Hindu woman living in the United Arab Emirates has embraced fasting in the month of Ramadan as a mode of self-discovery.

Neelam Gokulsing, who is Mauritian by origin, first started fasting in 2021 when she was studying and later working in Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country.

In the beginning, fasting during Ramadan was simply a way of keeping up with friends who practised the rites of Ramadan in their complete spirit.

She began eating with her friends for sehri and iftari.

“For me, it was all about solidarity and understanding that part of their culture although I am a Hindu,” she said in a recent interview with Khaleej Times.

However, the haibit stuck with her even after she left Malaysia and settled in Dubai for work in in 2022. Her mission to fit in her surroundings and show solidarity with friends and collegaues continued here as well.

“I continued fasting here as everyone around me mostly would fast during the holy month.”

She describes fasting as a challenge if you get back to it after a pause of an entire year, particularly emphasising that the first few days are needed for the body to get used to the new schedule. However, breaking fast in the communal spirit at the end of the day makes it worth the whole experience.

Although, the initial lesson of fasting for Gokulsing was realising how difficult it was to et through the day without food and water, it soon develped into something more.

“By abstaining from certain foods or activities, I experience a heightened awareness of my own habits, desires, and thought patterns,” she said

Gokulsing said that fasting had given her insights into her own character through the discipline needed to abstain from food and water all day.

Muslims fast from dawn to dusk every day during the month of Ramadan. Although outwardly related to abstinence from food, the month is considered the most blessed in the entire year due to the cleansing experience for the soul.