Unanswered Contentions

Ayodhya verdict delivered by Lucknow high court bench (recently stayed by S.C) opened the new course where possible negotiation and further re-negotiation could be made to find a common ground where solution could be acceptable to both the parties. However the title suit where histories and faiths were also the question of grievances i.e. (What destroyed first? temple or mosque?) kept people and scholars remain clueless about the future of cultural relationship between Hindu and Muslim which is still swinging in limbo. The enthusiasts who regarded Ayodhya dispute as a last thorn in the flesh of Hindu Muslim troubled relationship are too naive to acknowledge the fundamental differences exist between these two evolved streams. The self and a mutual perception of both communities will remain be a determining factor in 21st century while dealing with each other. There exists severe fundamental philosophical contention which must be addressed and answered if everlasting peace has to be arrived.

But before to understand and solve a complex matrix exists between these two streams the relationship of Hinduism with other ‘ism’ needed to be analyzed. Since independence the relationship of Hindus with other religion having Indic and non Indic origin is peaceful and conveniently settled with some minor occasional frictions which can be only considered as exceptions in long peaceful relationship and there is two specific reason for that -

1:Insignificant population of follower of other non-indic belief system ;

2:A confirmed and time immemorial following of those cultural traditions by other religions to which Hindus are convenient with for example the wearing of traditional Indic (bindi-sarees) attire by Parsees women , Christians ordinarily using Hindu names as their first name thus unapologetically accepting their historically converted status and also using a localized ethnic traditions in expressing their mode of worship ;

3: Other innumerous offshoots religions (Buddhism ,Jainism , Sikhs, Baha’is etc) following Sanskritized traditions like idol worshiping and rituals similar to Vedic pattern

Thus in day to day living these communities reflexively follows the tradition and mores of Hindus in such a way that even inter-religious marriages goes without inviting any major trouble which in case against Mohammedans adopts a complete different picture .There are various visible line of differences between these two stream which can’t be ignored neither any sensible scholar try to adopt escapist approach in trying discussing it which is normal tendency in our day to day media debate and or in any editorial writings . The major factors responsible for contention as follows:-

1: A sizable population though not very crucial but notwithstanding any percentage created fault lines in many spheres like- Kerala, Kashmir, Karnataka, Varanasi etc.

2: A very powerful natural belief inherited in Hindus that being a progenitor of Indic civilization the god and legends they worship in temple and home born on this very land, who’s books and epics conveys the stories, event, mythologies and poetries related with this part of geography so their relationship with India is not that of a nature which bear mere nation state affinity but that of a spiritual ‘oneness’ with a land who’s civilization continuity can’t be questioned.

3: Thus Hinduism is a core belief system of India without it the very character of India won’t be survived.

4: A self persuaded belief in especially upper elite class Mohammedans that they are offspring of some distant tribe who entered in this sub-continent 1000 yrs ago and ruled till the advent of British, this perception became more acute and severe specially after the disastrous defeat of Pakistan in 1971 Bangladesh war. This phony belief was generated to boost and re-ignite themselves with confidence and self pride to overcome the supposed shame which Hindu India inflicted on psychology of Muslim Pakistan.

5: Thus Islam as an identity in sub-continent is not just something to be proud of but became a divine legitimacy to make disappear and erase the memory of their own overwhelmingly Hindu past which must be forgotten at any cost.
In near future none of the above stated self-belief seems in a mood of temperance to retract a bit and to create a space of common understanding but uncompromisingly locked in a sense of self superiority and there the crux of the problem lies.

India just like any other nation state of 21st century bear a tendency to characterize herself and to show gratitude for her crucial achievements to its very own unique values which it derived from its past culture, history and civilization and that it supremely predominantly considers as Hindu and only that portion of medieval Islam is accepted which shows a certain degree of tolerance and harmonization with its culture. For the unconvinced here are some factual truths. :-

(a) All the names of strategic warships-cruise missiles-tanks –fighter jets and military regiments kept on the name of ancient mythological or real historical figures and kings like Chandragupta, Samudragupta or Arjun etc but there is hardly any name on Aurangzeb or Tughlaq or Iltutmish or even on Akbar –the great .

(b) Same with space related programs too where names are often kept on Sanskritic traditions like Aryabhatt or Chandrayan .Thus the secular India indirectly attest the popular impression that all intellectual work related with medicine or science done in ancient age while medieval age was only flooded with self-eulogicalizing autobiographies of illiterate Islamic kings whose works are hardly fit to be get suggested as a title tag for any modern work dealing with science or technology.

(c) All the characters in print comics like Lot Pot, Chandamama, Super Commando Dhruv, Nagraj or Billlu–Pinki ,Chacha Chaudhary there is one thing common i.e. they all belong to upper middle class Hindu background , there is hardly any Muslim superhero shown doing welfare for Indian people .

(d) Indian films since long ago stopped projecting the title name in Urdu at the starting of their movie.

(e) Ministry for external affair actively stepping up its diplomacy to make Hindi as one of
The official language of U.N but not Urdu

(f) All the inauguration functions even in govt. related public works starts with an age old auspicious Hindu tradition of smashing a coconut fruit or in some extreme case there is a full fledged ritual of reciting a Vedic hymns but no where we hear officials are following Islamic norms or any practice.

(g) Asoka empirical seal became a natural choice for the constitutional makers to mark it as national emblem as they found it more convincing to symbolize the idea of unified India. The signs and symbols of Islamic dynasties failed to appeal them.

(h) Post independence apart from restructuring and remodeling of Hindu temples the transliterations and translations of old empirical documents into English and Hindi done with same vigorous zeal.

The reactive fundamentalism emerged in early nineties in Hindus though showing a sign of fading up but it must be kept under regular watch however the inherent tendency of Muslims of looking towards west Asia every time for their evolution in legal jurisprudence or getting effected by the events taking place in those regions ,bandwagoning behind their newly formed religious parties or even doing a well integrated tactical voting and manipulating it as something showing tender support to secular parties remain unchanged. The intrinsically fundamentalist nature of their religion will keep them uprooted, identity less and moreover aggrieved (read as a sense of detachment from their ummah). It must be curbed with strong will and determination by politics in power for a safe future of India. Thus there can be countless of such observations which are un- evident to ordinary eyes but are shaping parts of larger contention. 

  Thus for largest minority the secular and democratic India remains an un-spacious territory and for majority the growing tendency of even regarding genuine secularism as pseudo secularism and hindrance to its authoritative morality is matter of grave concern. So the lawyers who were showing a victory sign and people who were feeling offended after delivery of bench judgment both trend but (not only one) is alarming and must invite our concern.

The major portion of Ayodhya suit dispute undoubtedly was to decide claim of title but it also had its religious and social implications .Those who denied this and questioned the rational reliability of judges in fact never observed the charged atmosphere of Court no. 21 of Lucknow bench, never witnessed the evidence (religious books and gazetteers along with legal journals) which was pressed at the dias, never heard the argument given by lawyers who were contending or ever been to a separately dedicated Ayodhya-Babri dispute section in Lucknow high court bench which almost taken shape of overstuffed mini library-and moreover failed to analyze that how a Gomati river in our city flow like a metaphoric boundary not only separating old and new area but is also the running fault line separating a two different ideologies trying to live in a space in which it is inconvenient to live together and its holds true for other part of country too.