India is a secular country where all religions and faiths are respected. India is home to Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis, Jews, Buddhists, etc. For years, people of diverse faiths have co-existed peacefully in India.
Even today, this is to some extent true. But the Babri Masjid demolition marked a turning point in relations between Hindus and Muslims in this country. The rise of Hindu and Muslim fundamentalism has ruined the religious amity that prevailed before. Vote bank politics is one of the main reasons for this situation.
Hinduism has always been a tolerant religion so it is all the more difficult to digest its new-found militant avatar. India’s beauty and uniqueness lies in its pluralism. We are proud of the Taj Mahal, one of the eight wonders of the world. But it was built by a Muslim ruler. Many Hindus love the ‘biriyani’ which is a Muslim dish.
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So can there be an India just for the people of one religion? Perhaps, but it wouldn’t be the India we love and cherish. The Godhra and Kandhamal incidents were a blot on India’s reputation. It is true that many new denomination churches, which are not approved of even by the mainstream churches, aggressively encourage conversion.
But how can we forget the contributions of the churches which gave us good educational institutions and mission hospitals and indulged in selfless service towards the needy? The truly enlightened know that there is only one God, if God does exist. So it is irrelevant under what name we worship Him.
Fighting in the name of religion is therefore a national waste of time and energy which can be used for good things. Instead of building more temples, churches and mosques, let us build more orphanages and hospitals for the poor. Let us build homes for destitute women and abandoned elders and mentally ill people where they can live with dignity.
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This will be the highest form of worshipping the Almighty. Love is the greatest religion in the world and when we shower our love on those who are cast out by the world, we earn a place in heaven or jannat or swarg which are all one and the same.