Monday, July 14

Can we achieve a complete secular harmony in our country?


By Shilpa Nangali

“Leave us alone, the problem is in our area, we can handle it, do not interfere” - This was the message conveyed to the neighborhood residents by some of the Muslim community residents of JC Nagar on Friday’s (July 11, 2008) incident at a masjid in JC Nagar and Hebbal. Local politicians doubt political ambitions behind this. However, the best part was finally Hindus and Muslims displayed unity to settle this issue.

Few months back, two Kashmiri Muslim teens were arrested in North Karnataka while doing ‘namaz’ in a Hindu `Temple’. I have no idea about their intentions. Probably people and police thought they were desecrating the Hindu temple.

How nice it will be if there is unity between Hindus and Muslims in our country. However, as Gandhiji has said, the cement binding the two is yet loose and wet.

I was talking to my father about this, and my father told me about a news clipping, which he read in a English weekly, a year back. Though it was a small incidence, I felt happy that I came to know about this one.

A reporter had gone to Kashmir and while he was returning to Orissa,the driver (a Muslim), asked the reporter whether he wished to visit the ‘Sun Temple’ at Konark. The reporter agreed and visited the beautiful Sun Temple. The reporter was going around the temple, and that time, he saw two Muslims doing ‘namaz’ in the precincts of the temple. The reporter was surprised to see that and out of curiosity he asked them being Muslims were they not offended to pray in a Hindu temple? They questioned him back with a smile, `Why, don’t you know, that the God is one irrespective of religion?’

Here, I do not mean to say that only in Muslims there are such people, who think that we all are one. Even in Hindus there are such kind of rational thinkers. However, the union of these two is what I love to see...

If I had been born Catholic, Presbyterian, Muslim, Jain or Hindu...what ever..the caste/religion label means absolutely nothing to me. We are known in this world by our deeds, thoughts, aspirations, actions, achievements, by the way we live, and by the way we treat our fellows...lets be aware of God within us..and make our mind worth staying for that supreme power..Almighty...lets illuminate our soul with the light of knowledge, courage and sincerity in all our efforts.

If a person’s character is loathsome, what’s the use even if he belongs to an upper class? It all depends on how we grow ourselves, how we think and how we act.

15 comments:

  1. Hiya

    This is the most worth reading article or wot eva ever in this blog I really like this.... just top .... Sometimes we should understand and respond to the facts, no one in India wants to die coz of religion. Only way to get out of all these is to bin your thoughts about your religion and cast, please please do not fill the hell of religion and cast in children's mind. Champs if we need to survive we need to live in fact and without any fear....!!!!

    Cheers

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  2. Hi Jay,

    Thanx a lot...I was extremely happy to read your comment as I logged in today morning :) The secret of religion lies not in theories but in practice. To be good and do good - that is the whole of religion. India remains one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, and if we all live as ONE in peace and harmony, den it makes our mother country the most beautiful.
    We are filling wrong thoughts in childrens' mind many a times...Be it Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Jain and Sikhs everybody should think of a single identity i.e, of being an INDIAN. It should be understood that all of us have multiple identities religious, linguistic, cultural, regional and caste identities. No one can claim single identity.

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  3. Ya u are right Shilpa.Unfortunately this peace and understanding among different communities has been endangered lately. India at present is facing many problems. The biggest of these is the problem of communalism. In their personal fight they are destroying their life only. In fact, it is the biggest threat to humanity and to the unity and integrity of the country.

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  4. Yes, I agree with Jay, we need to live without fear. Fear is death, and courage is life. Wat we should select. let ppl decide dat first!

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  5. Ur articles are always very interesting Shilpa.

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  6. There is lack of such thinking these days..its gud to see dat u have written about this..felt it worth reading

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  7. I know you since almost 18years…from school days till now,u have always amazed me with ur writings, ur poems, and ur seminars, ur songs, ur acting skills ;) lots…..i stil remember how used to hold a stick, and used to act like a strict teacher in 1st std only….u were caught also once, u remember? Lol…miss those beautiful schooldays wen we were all like ONE…those dance rehearsals, marchfast rehearsals for independence day, republic day, standing in the stadium for the chief guest to come and hoist the flag,…we all were together in spite of being from different castes…can’t forget those beautiful days in my life…

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  8. @ Reehan, Keerti & Ricky

    Thanks so much

    @Sanjay

    Thanks a lot dear. Frnds like u really keep those memories refreshing and alive always, I feel very lucky tht I hve got such wonderful frnds. I'm truly blessed. I too miss those school days a lot...but that unity we display wen we are kids, why most of us change after growing up...this change is destructive...its upto us if we wanna change. But for most of the people ESCAPE is easier than to CHANGE themselves!

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  9. Amazing. Why don't you give publicity to such incidents in the print and electronic media? It would improve the situation in the other states too and the politicians would feel bad of course but then the people's interest is much higher than the political lindos.

    An excellent article indeed!!! Good job, Keep it up....

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  10. Frankly speaking, such atricles will be read by only several people.Dont you think such articles should also be published in news papers like TOI, The Hindu so that everybody can read and adopt such a unity in thier daily life too?

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  11. All the media channels should give publicity to this type of social incidents such that it will be an eye opener for the people who belive on rumours & react for misunderstanding people.

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  12. hope the problem between the communities is solved and we work together as ONE nation...else as i say... "India is self-dependent. We dont need enemies. We fight amongst ourselves."

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  13. Very good article.i wish all the unity should stay for long time

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  14. @Kashinath Shetti, Neel Shah, Lionel Beck, Mohankrishna Gaddipati, Basavraj Bennur & Swaminath Adabala

    First of all my heartfelt thanks for all of u, for supporting "communal unity". Its great that u all agreed about the necessity of this unity. Each one of us shd feel our identity with every one of the millions of the inhabitants of our mother India. In order to realize dis,v shd be frndly with persons representing faiths other than our own too. V shd hve the same regard for the other faiths as v hve for our own.In such a happy state of things der wud be no graceful cry at the stations such as Hindu water and Muslim water or Hindu Tea and Muslim Tea...der wud be no separate rooms or pots for Hindus and Non Hindus in schools and colleges..no communal schools colleges..we all wil be ONE...the beginning of such a revolution has to be made by each one of us..but are we ready for dis kinda revolution? Der r ppl who commented for dis article sayin - "wat if muslim did namaz in a hindu temple, u go n do aarti n masjid.."

    With such kind of ppl,is dis revolution possible?Ppl dnt wanna change coz, for most of them escape is easier than changing der way of thinking!!!

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