ALMOST every person from the Hindu community was taking the decision of the honourable Allahabad High Court to dismiss an appeal challenging the order of a Varanasi Court to allow ‘pooja’ at the Gyanvapi complex, as a foregone conclusion -- thanks to the defintiveness of the substantive evidence available to prove that Gyanvapi was a Hindu (Shiv) temple. The legal battle in this regard may get extended a little more, but it has brought us -- the larger Indian society -- to a critical point that some disruptive elements among us start seeing sense and give up uncalled for claims based on half-baked awareness of history. As many thought-leaders have been advising the larger society, it is time we really set aside small issues and start working together for the cause of inter-faith harmony. That approach will help us keep unnecessary strife away. True, the country has thousands of such shrines whose identity changed with the vagaries of political history from time to time. Most such places got converted to ones of worship of the invaders’ faith. The Ayodhya temple was one of the most prominent of such places of worship. Thanks to the patience of all stakeholders, the Ayodhya issue got resolved amicably. A similar approach is expected to dominate the thought and the process in case of some other shrines as well.

 

The Hindu community has made only limited demands for restoration of the original status of only a few more shrines, that include Kashi and Mathura. The Kashi issue has reached advanced stages with the initiative to carve out a new architecture of faith some time ago. In the Mathura case, too, decent advance has been made to establish a correct claim on the basis of truth of history. There is every reason to believe that the legal process will offer a correct resolution to the issues since the larger Indian society -- the political community included -- is resorting to the legal course acceptable to all. This requires rich tributes to be paid to the good sense of all sections of the larger society. For, when a society adopts such an approach, it demonstrates its maturity. This is a matter of immense satisfaction for everybody. However, there still are some elements that do not appreciate this process to sort out issues harmoniously. These elements are all the time threatening a retaliatory action -- which can be interpreted as threats of violent response to the correct and legal process. To such elements, we wish to make an appeal: ‘Friends, do not vitiate the atmosphere. Do not incite unsuspecting masses to resort to violence.

 

For, the larger Indian community has potential to emerge as a harmonious entity. Do not instigate divisiveness’. The ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony at Ayodhya proved amply that Ayodhya has now become symbolism of a new and raised level of inter-faith amity and unity. It failed all doomsday predictions that the country would get dipped in violence if the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ took place. Nothing of that sort happened, proving that the larger society saw good sense in understanding the meaning of the Ayodhya metaphor. Our appeal to some disruptive elements for good sense stands on the footing of the Ayodhya experience. Fortunately for all of us beyond faith lines, the country stands at a very happy cross-roads of history where narrow considerations have no place. In such an atmosphere of amity, there is no place for disruptive elements at all. Such elements must give up their narrow considerations and join the mainstream with a sense of acceptance of the lesson from history -- that we have a chance to stand as one family of India with no faith-faultlines to disrupt peace and harmony.