With Narinder Modi successfully shifting the national
agenda from religion/caste/communal/narrow divisive loyalties to
development and Nation first, things should be looking up for good.
Religion in India has massive control over all Indians
daily lives, thought process, leanings and outlook towards life. The
religious teachers in Sikh and Islam have a greater hold than the
others and most would agree with this statement.
The other day I was privy to a very tragic but
interesting real life incident. A young charming MBA girl from upper
middle class back ground working abroad in a MNC and earning good
money found a her prince charming. The boy from with in the community
matching status and salary and pleasing personality. Typical son in
law any father would wish. This person had everything and abundance
of it. They got married and the tragedy struck. The prince was
suffering from very serious medical problems and he should have not
got married till the problems were sorted out, however the society’s
taunts forced this alliance. Unfortunately in spite of the fact that
the match maker was extremely well known to both sides this problem
had not been shared. Two years of married life was marred with mental
torture and abuse of the charming princess. Since she was posted
abroad she was unwilling to share the agony with the parents for
obvious reasons. It was by default that the girl broke down and
confided and hell broke loose. Only child, simple God fearing and
this is what destiny had in store. Parents went into deep depression
for quite sometimes till the father took a stand of annulling the
relationship much against the daughters wish(she thought she could
probably mange).
The marriage was annulled without any acrimony and it
was kind courtesy the local head priest of the sect before getting
formal judicial stamp. It was amazingly clean, logical and extremely
fair.
This set me thinking about the potential of this
learned body to facilitate social transformation, since they are the
custodians of faith notwithstanding some aberrations.
All religions have adverse traditions/rituals having
creped in over a period of time. In fact older the religion more is
the ritualism/tokenism/misrepresentation of the truth.
Hinduism leads with maximal possible cleansing
potential. Caste based discrimination, widow remarriage, dirty
mandirs. Illiterate and greedy pujaris; excessive ritualism,
knowledge in a language not understood by most and absence of
unifying common ground. The new age religious leaders being wealthy,
educated, media friendly, learned and capable of harmonising the
essence of science and religion have mass following cum belief which
is reasonably strong. The other religions have a better control
because there is little diversity of Hinduism in them. Thus less
fragmentation and more cohesion.
The most difficult and challenging task would be for
Hindus to come together and come to an acceptable common programme.
This must be accomplished without tinkering with the basic
fundamentals,
The issue like eradication of social evils could be the
starting point. Dowry, female foeticide, duty, honesty, values, caste
discrimination, intoxicant (gutka/paan/tobacco) drugs menace, helping
the needy; women/girl safety; corruption, harmony, tolerance are some
of the burning issues which can be tackled by the society and not
legislature or police or the English electronic media.
For India to evolve as a progressive, tolerant, plural.
multi religious society this may be a good starting point and one has
never seen a national upsurge towards development amongst all that is
India. Religious leaders taking lead would be transformation of great
magnitude.
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