If we continue to dwell in the past, we will ultimately bruise the present.
Anmol Bara Ofm
Two recent events in India, that are still unfolding, will go down in history: the
consecration of the Ram Temple holding in it the threads of ‘struggles for identity
and glory’ of Hindus; the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra which brings to conversation a
deep-rooted injustice, corruption and the series of violence taking place in the
society and the country at large. These two historical events do convey something
more than what it shows us at the periphery. One would very well see the
contradicting implications of these two events.
The Ram temple is looked at as a triumph against injustice done in the past as it is
considered that Babri mosque was built by Muslim emperor Babur on the site of a
temple already existing in 1528. The journey of the temple began with the
controversial demolition of
the Babri Masjid. In December 6, 1992, a mob
of
Hindu nationalists broke into the mosque, chanting religious slogans, pulled down
the mosque. It was the culmination of a decade
old angry, and at times violent,
campaign. Apoorvanand says that with the approval of
the Supreme Court in 2019
to construct Ram temple on the location of the Babri mosque and allocating a
mosque on the outskirts of Ayodhya as a replacement, we now have established a
principle of creating an unbreakable divide between Hindus and Muslims that they
cannot live side by side.
On the consecration of the temple, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe writes that the
consecration of the Ram idol at Ayodhya is but the start of India’s cultural
renaissance where the temple is a symbol of the ability to protect the self-respect
against the injustice and atrocities of the aggressors.
The construction of the temple can be credited largely to the political influence of
the BJP led government. The building of the Ram temple was one of the BJP’s
foundational prom- ises that has seen them grow from a fringe party wining only
two seats in Lok Sabha in 1984
to a force that has won with majority in 2014 and
2019 Lok Sabha Election. The Ram temple movement endorsed by the BJP has paid
the party a rich political fortune. And precisely, this was why many of the opposition
leaders refused to participate in the consecration ceremony, claiming that
consecration was for the political gain of the BJP in the upcoming election 2024.
Furthermore, the Ex Civil Servants have recently expressed their deep disquiet over
the government’s involvement in Ram temple consecration saying that ‘religion is a
private matter and the public officials should be mindful to separate their religious
belief from their official duties.’ It is a serious concern when it comes to a person
who holds the highest constitutional office of Prime Minister, a leader not of just one
religious identity but of all people of diverse religious belief.
But the involvement of the BJP led government including the Prime Minister does
not fit the constitutional way of holding a public office. Does the temple signify a
political ideology? How much does this event has to do with the reality of every
Indian Hindu? The celebration of the Ram temple should be a reality that is not
merely political but should be the celebration of the values of love, respect and
enrichment of the dignity of humanity together. The rising number of intolerances
in the country under the
BJP led government says it otherwise. For when it is only a
political affair, it can be reduced to
a structural celebration of the temple which
consequently will end up in fanaticism.
Meanwhile, the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra manifests some of the traits of such
fanatical approach in our society. The Bharat Nyay Yatra comes as a response to the
recent violence in Manipur between the Meithei and Kuki communities. We have
series of religious conflicts these days including the recent communal violence
which broke out in Haryana. These can be considered as the consequences of the
such religious-political manipulation of the government. It also highlights the
unemployment crisis and corruption done by rich class backed by some political
leaders. The country today is divided between two types of people, the rich with
political background who enjoys the support of the political leaders and the poor
who are growing poorer day by day but still living in a political frenzy.
People today hardly question the government on price hike unlike before 2014 but
accept the policies of the government unquestionably. And the reason for this could
be that the present government has substituted the need of people by feeding them
with religious sentiments in the country. Ironically, the government has done but
nothing on the issue of ongoing Manipur violence where the Prime Minister has
hardly addressed the issue. How much was it talked in the media channels is an-
other question to be asked. For, when one is intoxicated by the religious sentiments,
one does not care for the violence, price hike, corruption or unemployment. Karl
Marx has rightly said that religion is the opium of people; it is the opium that creates
a reality which has nothing to do with the existing problems of the country.
And the
result of this intoxication is that we are made to feel that we are a developing nation
contrary to the reality, where our press freedom has ranked 161 out of 180
countries in the world, ranks eighth among 162 countries for highest risk of mass
killing on religious issues, significant decrease in unemployment rate, an average
growth in the per capita income and so on. The Ram temple and the ongoing Bharat
Nyay Yatra therefore can be said to portray a contradictory reality of our country.
The consecration ceremony of the Ram temple should not be a structural reality
alone; but it should touch every heart of people. It is the celebration that should
promote life, a peaceful coexistence and valuing of each other irrespective of caste,
creed and religion. This celebration should question the conscience of every citizen
of the country that Ram is a name which speaks of justice, equality and fraternity
and not an ide- ology that is served by some political party. For, when we separate
the values of justice, equality and fraternity with a structure, we are only celebrating
the structural reality of the Ram temple and not its essence. And any structural
worship can ultimately lead to fanaticism and that which is politically driven is
dangerous.
After the consecration of the Ram temple, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh has
demanded the temples to be built in other two places of Kashi and Mathura. He said
that ‘the country is not ready to sing paeans for plunderers anymore.’ The statement
clearly conveys the animosity towards the Muslims not only of historical but the
present as well. For how long can we dwell on the past with animosity towards
other religion? After the consecration of the Ram temple there is a significant
increase in the number of targets against Muslim mosques by some Hindu outfit.
The Gyanvapi mosque in West Bengal is one of them where some Hindu devotee
prayed in the seller of the Mosque. There is also violent-like situations all over the
country. Obviously, it is not the kind of ‘cultural renaissance’ of a religion but a
renaissance of hate and violence. If we continue to dwell in the past, we will
ultimately bruise the present. Instead, it is a high time that the government should
work towards a harmonious coexistence between different religions rather than to
prop- agate a philosophy of US versus THEM for its own political gain.
