Gountia Mohammed Jamiullah reads the namaz five times a day. Since 1983, he has also been doing the seva (service) of chhera panhara (cleaning the chariot of Lord Jagannath) during the car festival at Remnada in Jharsuguda district, defying threats from orthodox Muslims as well as Hindus.

The 70-year-old wears many hats. He is the village head, an Odia poet and an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath. "I am performing raja dharma. My family members have been performing this seva of Lord Jagannath since long before I was born. I am following the traditions set by my ancestors," he said.

Jamiullah recalled how rath yatra used to celebrated in western Odisha long ago.

"This area is known as the Mughal bandi (fell under direct Mughal administration). My forefathers, who were in the Mughal emperor's court, reached this part of the state following the direction of the Mughal administration. This was before the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Our job was to provide smooth administration in the area - collect taxes and deliver them to the Mughals. During this period, local villagers had approached our family to sponsor the car festival. Our ancestors agreed and helped the local people to organise the festival."

He said his family had recorded the history of the festival since 1900 and how it used to be sponsored by Muslims such as Gountia Waras Mohammad, his son Waliul Mohammed, grandsons Mohammad Hanif and Habib, while the great-grandson, Mohammad Khalil, had sponsored the rath yatra.

Jamiullah spoke of how he had decided to continue with the tradition in spite of sectarian pressure. "After the death of my father Mohammad Khalil, I had decided not to sponsor the festival and stop performing the chhera panhara because of resentment in some sections of the society. At that time, I was suffering from mental trauma and indecision. But one night, my father came to me in a dream. He asked me not to break with the glorious tradition set by our forefathers. After that, I have never looked back."

"Lord Jagannath is the God of the common man. I don't find any difference between Him and Allah, whom I adore the most. Both represent the Lord and are a manifestation of love."

Asked how he could perform Lord Jagannath's ritual when Islam does not believe idol worship, Jamiullah said: "To me, Lord Jagannath is not an idol. I feel and sense Him as a living deity. He is one among us. He is the embodiment of a rich culture and I am fortunate to get a chance to serve Him."

"When I see the violence perpetrated in the name of Islam within and outside our country, I am most aggrieved. The holy Quran does not support even killing a small creature. If any one targets me for performing this seva, I will be happy to lay down my life to uphold secular values."

During the festival, Jamiullah maintains a strict vegetarian diet and follows all the rituals that are performed in a Hindu family. "After my death, my sons have agreed and given me their word to carry forward the traditions set by our ancestors."

"When I see the Lord, I feel he is telling me that man has created religions and all religions merge here." He recalled how he was inspired to write a poem after visiting Puri.

"I see Mecca and Medina from the Nilakandara, the hillock where the Shree Jagannath Temple of Puri is situated. I see Allah in Shree Jagannath. I cannot explain my innermost feelings, the spirituality and the bliss I experience by performing the service of Lord Jagannath," he said.

His second son, Amjad Badshah, who is a journalist and doing PhD on digital diplomacy among BRICS nations at Jaipur National University, Rajasthan, has come forward to help his father during the festival.

To propagate the message of national integrity and communal harmony, Amjad has also formed an organisation called Samhati Manch and has made a 15-minute documentary film in English - Sweeping for Integrity - on the rath yatra in Remnada.

For his literary works, several state-level institutions, including Sambalpur University and the Odisha Sahitya Academy, have honoured Jamiullah. He has also been honoured with the Sarala Samman. His critically acclaimed works are Jathartha O Kalpana (1968), Poets' Manifesto (1986), Swara Abinaswara and Nisiddha Pustak (2005). His upcoming books are Drustrira Draghima (a collection of Odia poetry), Dayarno ke Darmiyan (a collection of Hindi prose) and Autumn's Hymns in English.