FANATICISM, EXPLOITATION, TERRORISM AND SOCIETY

Today the trade, commerce and industry have brought nations closer to one another. But human society is being haunted by fanaticism, superstition and exploitation. I was once confronted by some religious fanatics.

A small organization invited me to hoist national flag on an independence day. After hoisting the flag, all of us sang our national anthem. I commanded for a salute with a slogan "Jai Hind" (This slogan reminds us of the war launched by Subhash Chandra Bose against the British rulers). Somebody in the group shouted "Vande Matharam".

I smiled at him and said, "We regularly sang 'Vande Matharam' after flag hoisting during our struggle for independence". But the young man argued with me claiming that our national anthem "Janagana Mana" should be replaced by "Vande Mataram", as Hindus are a majority in our country. This prompted me to say a few words about Hindu ways during my speech in a hall after flag hoisting. I said, "Hindus believe that the Great Veda Vyasa Maharshi who wrote Maha Bharatha, is yet alive. He will be present in every meeting where a person addresses a huge gathering. He expects the speaker to impress the audience that they are living in a happy world where people are mutual admirers and interdependent. The speaker has no right to provoke mutual suspicion, fear, hatred, violence or intolerance".

I concluded my speech with Gandhiji's invocation "Sab ko sanmati de bhagawan", which means "O God, grant good thoughts to everybody".

All in a sudden there was a rush of young men and women entering the hall through all doors. They began distributing a small piece of red thread and offered to tie it around my left wrist. When I said that I could help myself, one of them turned towards the audience and began to address them in a loud voice. He began saying, "Hindus will have no place in India. Muslims are going to capture lands belonging to holy places like Amarnath. Hindus must unite and fight Muslims".

I did not want him to continue his speech of hatred. I got up and asked him to sit down. He stopped speaking, but did not sit down. I reminded the audience what I had told in my speech that Vyasa maharshi does not like people who instigate fear, hatred or violence. I also told them that when I lost my father when I was just nine years old and my mother left the village and came to a town with six children, it was a Muslim who helped in all our needs, so that my mother could send us to schools.

The organizer proposed vote of thanks and I was almost hustled out of the hall though it looked like their reminding of my programme elsewhere while leading me to the vehicle waiting outside.

Demolition of Babri Masjid is an example of exploiting the simple faith in a common man for achieving political command. Common man was made to believe that "Lord Rama was born in the place where Babri Masjid stands. Muslims constructed a Mosque there, against the wishes of Hindus. This wrong deed done long back needs to be corrected. It is the duty of every Hindu to volunteer for Kar-Seva (service by hands)". The Masjid was demolished.

As a proud Hindu, I feel deeply hurt when I see some people disturbing peace in society in the name of protecting Hinduism. These people do not bother to look into the real strength of this ancient religion, 'Hinduism'. This is a religion that expects every individual to feel VASUDHAIVA KUTUMBAKAM (The whole world is my family), SARVA DEVA NAMASKARAM KESHAVAM PRATHI GACCHATI (Worship of all Gods reaches the Supreme Power whom we call 'Keshava) and SARVE JANAH SUKHINO BHAVANTHU (Let all people be happy).

International terrorism had its evil influence on some Hindu Enthusiasts also. A suicide bomber from Srilanka killed herself while assassinating a popular and most beloved Indian leader Rajiv Gandhi. Peace loving Indian society was thrown into inconsolable grief over this unforeseen dreadful horror. Apart from this, terrorist acts in the name of religion killing innocent people added fuel to the fire of disturbed Hindus.

Maoists and Naxalites are other groups taking pride in cowardly acts of causing death of innocent people and loss of public property. Government of India has not yet used its muscle power to put down Naxalites and other such organizations. It wants the leaders of such organizations to come forward and explain their aims so that the Government can help them in serving those people for whose sake they are wasting their energy on criminal acts.

Religions and socio-economic theories suffer many changes at the hands of clerics and other self styled guardians of the pride of a religion or a theory. Al-queda, which is against the spread of influence of western ways over Islam, has resorted to terrorism as a means of warning people.Taliban is strictly against freedom for women. Their anti-women laws are not just limited to enforce Muslim women to wear 'Burkha' (a dress which covers womans's body from head to toe). It also restricts them from going out for work.

There was a heartening report that a Muslim lady asked Muslim women the world over to "kill silence for liberty". She was celebrating 'International Women's day'.

Both Al-queda and Taliban made border region of Pakistan their safe haven, after being hunted out of Afghanistan.

Pakistan which took birth as an Islamic country and which nursed its own terrorist activities, is now facing countless terrorist activities by Taliban. The latest attack killed hundreds of Ahmedias, whom Taliban brands as 'incomplete Muslims'.

The world now has a two-fold immediate responsibility. One is to unite and fight terrorism of any kind, anywhere in the world. Second is to organize a world wide net-work to educate people to rise above all sorts of divisive forces and work for the welfare of society, while improving personal living condition.

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