My Land Is Not Your Land

‘You know why it rains?’ Little Akash is picking his nose. 6 year old Siddharth is keenly watching his friend’s struggle. ‘Because god is crying.’

Siddharth’s eyes open wide. ‘Really?!’

‘My mummy told me yesterday.’ Akash examines his treasure. ‘She said if I don’t finish my homework, god will get sad and cry. Then it will rain and no one will come out to play.’

Blind faith because mummy said so. The kid doesn’t know any better. Let’s laugh it off. Give him a year or two and he’ll be rattling off the definition of evaporation and condensation.

What do you do with adults though? Many a school year has gone by and all definitions are in place. What do you now do with those who choose not to think and make up their own minds?

Case and point, Ayodhya. This ancient city, located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, has been referred to in the Hindu Epics and is described as the birthplace of Hindu god, Lord Rama. So far so good. It was taken over by Muslim invaders in the 16th century and Mughal emperor Babur is said to have built a mosque called Babri Masjid in the city. In the late 20th century came the claim that Babur had destroyed an ancient Hindu temple built on the very site where Lord Rama was born to make way for his mosque. 1992: Hindu-Muslim riots ensued in Ayodhya, Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad in which around 2000 people lost their lives- all because a group of Hindus destroyed the Babri Masjid so that a temple could be built on the site again.

1: Which year was Lord Rama born in? If we had a date (which we don’t), we could have retraced our steps in history to put archaeological facts in place.

2: Whether Babur had destroyed a temple or simply renovated an existing mosque to make it the Babri Masjid has not been confirmed.

3: Where in Ayodhya, Lord Rama was born has never been confirmed. Till the 19th century, Hindus and Muslims prayed side by side in the Babri Masjid complex, as both held the site sacred.

4: In 1986, L.K. Advani, president of the ruling national party BJP embarked on a mission of advocating Hindu nationalism. In 1989, he began the agitation of rebuilding the temple in Ayodhya as part of his political agenda. It worked and the BJP formed a coalition government. Ayodhya locals say they had never seen anyone from the party show interest in the city before that. (Courtesy: In The Name Of God)

Conclusion: Looks like mummy didn’t take a backseat when we grew up; she’s just taken the form of anyone we’re willing to follow. It doesn’t rain because god’s crying. It rains because he’s peeing. My mummy said so.