Need for a model where people follow religion only inside their homes

By Sandeep Pandey*
At the airports one sees a ‘Prayer Room.’ It doesn’t say which religion it belongs to. One could go in and pray according to one’s religious practice. This is the model which human society will have to adopt if we are to prevent internecine disputes over religious places in future.
Recently we witnessed a frenzy of court cases with petitioners claiming mosques and dargahs having being built upon temples. Had the Supreme Court not intervened and put a stop on the process there would have been no end to this process in which monuments like Taj Mahal would have followed religious places. But this is only a temporary relief. Right now the Places of Worship Act 1991 has come to rescue. But irrespective of what Mohan Bhagwat is saying about Ayodhya being a matter of faith and people should not go looking for a Shivling in every mosque, after all some people may be motivated by faith in other structures and by now we should have learned our lesson that Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh or Bharatiya Janata Party functionaries speak in different voices and RSS mouthpiece ‘Organiser’ has already come out with a statement that knowing the history of disputed sites is important for ‘civilisational justice,’ the BJP led union government is perfectly capable of doing away with the Places of Worship Act just as it made Article 370 of the Constitution related to Jammu and Kashmir redundant or enacted the blatantly discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act in complete violation of Article 14 of the Constitution. Then the floodgates will open once again.
Hence the only solution to this vexatious problem is to agree that people believing in God, if they concur that God is one, must come around to accepting all religious places as universal places of worship. This implies that all places of worship should allow followers of all religions to come in and perform their religious rites or worship according to the practice of their respective religion. In principle, everybody is praying that one God in their own manner under one roof. People will have to be just tolerant to others following different ways of worshiping. In fact, that would be a truly spiritual sight to see people worshiping in different ways in harmony with each other. After all, the objective of religion is to bring tranquility on earth where human society is in peace within and with the outer world.
However, slowly we must move towards a model in practice at the Maharogi Sewa Samiti, Anandwan in Warora, Maharashtra set up by the late Baba Amte, where there are no public religious places. Everybody is free to follow their religion inside their homes. After death everybody is buried under the earth, irrespective of their religion, and a tree is planted at their burial site. No tomb is allowed to be built.
Then the question is what would happen to the existing religious structures? All religious places would be converted into places from where welfare programmes would be run. Langars at Gurudwaras are an excellent example of a service being provided by a religious place. The beauty of the langars is that this service is open to all. It is not restricted to the followers of Sikhism. In fact, Sikhs go out of the way to provide the service of langars to all without discrimination based on religion, race, caste or gender, So, we saw Khalsa Aid set up langars in Bangladesh to cater to Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and langars were set up on Poland border for people fleeing Ukraine when Russia attacked it. There is no significant Sikh population in Bangladesh or Ukraine-Poland. The point is when it was required the langar service was pressed into action. The farmers movement on the Delhi borders sustained for 13 months because of the langars in which contributions were pouring in from villages of Punjab and Haryana. Families from villages has come and taken responsibility for running the kitchens of langars. This spirit of service is the essence of religion and followers of other religion need to learn from Sikhism. Hence, all places of worship must become places from where some human welfare work is performed. It could be a education programme, a health care programme, a women empowerment programme or simply a langar. As the essence of religion is service, there can be no better use of religious places than run human welfare programmes from their premises.
A Sarva Dharam Sadbhav Trust has been created in Ayodhya with the Mahant of a Ram-Janki temple, a Muslim activist, a Dalit scholar from Bihar, a Transgender and this writer, an atheist, as its trustees. This trust wishes to create such model religious places for future. A beginning has been made from Barabanki district in Uttar Pradesh. A temple has been renovated in Aseni village which displays on outside wall that people of all caste and religion are welcome to the temple and everybody is free to worship according to their method of worshiping. We hope more such places would come up soon. This is the only hope for a peaceful and friendly world.
---
*General Secretary, Socialist Party (India)

Comments

Aurangzeb’s last will recorded by his Maulvi: Allah shouldn't make anyone emperor

By Mohan Guruswamy Aurangzeb’s grave is a simple slab open to the sky lying along the roadside at Khuldabad near Aurangabad. I once stopped by to marvel at the tomb of an Emperor of India whose empire was as large as Ashoka the Great's. It was only post 1857 when Victoria's domain exceeded this. The epitaph reads: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast." (The rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave) The modest tomb of Aurangzeb is perhaps the least recognised legacies of the Mughal Emperor who ruled the land for fifty eventful years. He was not a builder having expended his long tenure in war and conquest. Towards the end of his reign and life, he realised the futility of it all. He wrote: "Allah should not make anyone an emperor. The most unfortunate person is he who becomes one." Aurangzeb’s last will was re...

Beyond his riding skill, Karl Umrigar was admired for his radiance, sportsmanship, and affability

By Harsh Thakor* Karl Umrigar's name remains etched in the annals of Indian horse racing, a testament to a talent tragically cut short. An accident on the racetrack at the tender age of nineteen robbed India of a rider on the cusp of greatness. Had he survived, there's little doubt he would have ascended to international stature, possibly becoming the greatest Indian jockey ever. Even 46 years after his death, his name shines brightly, reminiscent of an inextinguishable star. His cousin, Pesi Shroff, himself blossomed into one of the most celebrated jockeys in Indian horse racing.

PUCL files complaint with SC against Gujarat police, municipal authorities for 'unlawful' demolitions, custodial 'violence'

By A Representative The People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has lodged a formal complaint with the Chief Justice of India, urging the Supreme Court to initiate suo-moto contempt proceedings against the police and municipal authorities in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The complaint alleges that these officials have engaged in unlawful demolitions and custodial violence, in direct violation of a Supreme Court order issued in November 2024.

How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das* India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on. A soft attitude always creates strong relationships. A relationship should not depend only on spoken words. They should rely on understanding the unspoken feeling too. So w...

Haven't done a good deed, inner soul is cursing me as sinner: Aurangzeb's last 'will'

Counterview Desk The Tomb of Aurangzeb, the last of the strong Mughal emperors, located in Khuldabad, Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, has this epitaph inscribed on it: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e maa ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast" (the rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave).

CPM’s evaluation of BJP reflects its political character and its reluctance to take on battle against neo-fascism

By Harsh Thakor* A controversial debate has emerged in the revolutionary camp regarding the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s categorization of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Many Communists criticize the CPM’s reluctance to label the BJP as a fascist party and India as a fascist state. Various factors must be considered to arrive at an accurate assessment. Understanding the original meaning and historical development of fascism is essential, as well as analyzing how it manifests in the present global and national context.

State Human Rights Commission directs authorities to uphold environmental rights in Vadodara's Vishwamitri River Project

By A Representative The Gujarat State Human Rights Commission (GSHRC) has ordered state and Vadodara municipal authorities to strictly comply with environmental and human rights safeguards during the Vishwamitri River Rejuvenation Project, stressing that the river’s degradation disproportionately affects marginalized communities and violates citizens’ rights to a healthy environment. The Commission mandated an immediate halt to ecologically destructive practices, rehabilitation of affected communities, transparent adherence to National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders, and public consultations with experts and residents. The order follows the Concerned Citizens of Vadodara coalition—environmentalists, ecologists, and urban planners—submitting a detailed letter to authorities, amplifying calls for accountability. The group warned that current plans to “re-section” and “desilt” the river contradict the NGT’s 2021 Vishwamitri River Action Plan, which prioritizes floodpla...

How polarization between different ideological trends within the communist movement sharpened in India

By Harsh Thakor* This article is a rejoinder to A Note on Slogans of “Left Unity,” “Unity of the Communist Revolutionaries” and “Mass Line” by Umair Ahmed, published on the Nazariya blog .

Implications of deaths of Maoist leaders G. Renuka and Ankeshwarapu Sarayya in Chhattisgarh

By Harsh Thakor* In the wake of recent security operations in southern Chhattisgarh, two senior Maoist leaders, G. Renuka and Ankeshwarapu Sarayya, were killed. These operations, which took place amidst a historically significant Maoist presence, resulted in the deaths of 31 individuals on March 20th and 16 more three days prior.

Perfect batting model: No pair of sporting twins created such an impact jointly as Steve and Mark Waugh

By Harsh Thakor* In the history of cricket, no pair of twin brothers has ever asserted as much influence on the game as Steve and Mark Waugh. They had completely contrasting styles of play, yet together they played an instrumental role in Australia’s resurgence as a superpower in international cricket. The twin brothers turn 60 later in June this year. Mark was born just four minutes after Steve. Steve Waugh Steve Waugh was the ultimate epitome of sporting temperament, mental tenacity, consistency, and solidity. In a crisis, or when resurrecting a team from the grave, Steve Waugh was possibly the best batsman of his day. I can never forget the innumerable occasions he revived a sinking ship or conquered difficult wickets. He mastered all types of conditions—from the turning tracks of the subcontinent to the seaming English pitches, and the bouncy surfaces of Australia, the Caribbean, and South Africa. Steve began his career as an all-rounder against India in 1985-86, playing a pre...

Search This Blog