What!!! Are We Secular or Not!!!

This is the first thought that came to my mind after the Ayodhya case was whether we are secular or is it pretentious on our part as a nation. The Babri masjid / Ram janam bhoomi case is a landmark case in the history of Indian judiciary. Whether or not we can call ourselves secular is a debatable topic. We are warring over a piece of land on Indian soil belonging to only two out of several religions in the nation??? How does that make us secular? I laud the judgement given by the Court though as it has tried to solve an issue to which there will never be a right answer, though I do not agree with the verdict. Any party would claim that their right is still higher. We condemn those who demolished the mosque that stood in its stead. Demolishing any sacred place in our country is not permissible, nor should the perpetrators go scot free. India as a nation as well as Hinduism as a religion has been open to other cultures. If all the Upanishads and Vedas are to be believed, we believe in God being omnipresent. Thus, whether a small piece of land has a mosque or a temple should not matter at all.

'Little' Hope...

The most exasperating thing about the whole issue is that post the verdict both the parties (read as segments of Hindu and Muslim populace) are staking that they have not been given a fair verdict. This is where I feel that we as a nation have failed. If a piece of land has been divided between two of the largest communities living in India, where either claims that they have more right over the land, then we as a nation have failed in living up to the ideals of secularism we preach to the world. It is also a disgrace that the politicians of the nation have left stone unturned to ensure that they win the support of the RELIGUOUS segment for their vote bank. If we, Indians, wish to truly exude greatness, we need to rise above such dismal feelings of religious discrimination. I shudder to think of the consequences of what might have happened had the verdict been tilted more towards one - as lame as it sounds - religion. Wonder if Marx thought of all these things when he said, “Religion is the Opium of the People.”