INDIA’S FADING POLITY

And a sublime land .. raised rage beyond age and years .. never knew land is divided .. never knew divided is God

There exists one Supreme Power. Or NOT! The quest to search an answer for it is still on. Many minds
pondered over it, many beliefs came into being. Everyone thought their own way and gave their own
views. As a result today we all stand divided with the bars of religion. Religion was once supposedly
related to peace and brotherhood.

But this very religion has been the root cause of the various riots, bloodshed and terrorism. And that
makes us feel victorious in terms of superiority over other communities. But is this how victory is
defined by the religion? How long do we continue to stain our hands with blood in the name of religion?
INDIA-A country which is an epitome of sanctity in terms of religion, holds her head high enough to
present the rich heritage it has bequeathed since the ages. But, today the contradiction stands on the
word- ‘is’.

Ayodhya -“Ram Janmabhoomi”...A place which stands rich in the history of religion. A belief that Lord
Rama was supposedly born here...So very genuinely this mythological fact stands significant in the
hearts of all the Hindus. The tension started with the Mughal emperor Babar, who entered India after
defeating Hindu King Rana Sangram Singh in 1527. Babar made his general Mir Banki in-charge of the
area. Banki visited Ayodhya in 1528 and reportedly built a mosque destroying a Hindu Temple. The first
Hindu-Muslim riot broke out over the issue in 1853 during British rule. Following the clashes, the then
British government erected fences around the place to divide the Hindu-Muslim worship area. Muslims
were allowed to offer prayers in the inner part of the mosque and Hindus to worship at the outer side
of the disputed construction. Being a Hindu Majority capital, some fanatics like the members of Vishwa
Hindu Parishad, members of Sangh Parivar, RSS’s were bewildered to see the mosque and they took it
as an insult towards the piece of land and their sentiments towards the place. So on December 6, 1992;
with the principal and tangible goal to demolish the mosque, it was brought down by a mob of Hindu
Extremists. The building of Rama temple in place of it was not the chief aim, the motif of it was brought
in only to mobilize support, which redefined Indian nationhood as “Hindutva”. The Ayodhya Movement
which was totally communal created a rage among both the religious communities killing about 2000
people.

It was a political movement, and not one of faith but it was manipulated by faith to sub serve its
political goals. It was a rupture in the evolution of India’s polity. The state failed to live up to the
constitutional promise. India speaks high of having the biggest constitution in the world-democratic,
secularist, republic. It claims to be transparent for all, but today, that transparency has faded its way
in the name of religion. Political parties have become opportunistically communal; their thoughts are
befuddled by the patronage of one party over the other and they represent a country which doesn’t
follow a robust democracy. The political leaders have always neglected the clear thought and vision
for the country. The question of moving to build a mosque at the site or to remove the Ram idols being
worshipped in a makeshift temple doesn’t put someone’s faith at stake. What stand at stake is our

democratic policies and the level of their maturity.

Now, this stands as a 60 year long case, whose verdict is yet to be announced on 28th of September,
2010. It's all boots on the ground in Uttar Pradesh. Over a lakh uniformed men have been brought in
to police every corner of Ayodhya, Faizabad, Lucknow and 19 other sensitive areas in the state. Not
wanting to take any chances, the Mayawati government has banned all peace – protest rallies and the
distribution of sweets, post the verdict. Entry into the premises of the Lucknow High Court where the
verdict will be delivered has been restricted – the registrar has asked lawyers who don't have a case
on 28th, not to come to court. Not just that, security for the three judges who will read out the historic
Babri verdict has been doubled.

Should the Muslims hand over the land for the temple to be built? Or they should fight for their religious
sentiments which have been hurt by the bringing down of the mosque? Or they should fight for the fact
that they stand out as minorities in *‘Hindu’stan*? Or Hindus are completely justified in their act? Or the
issue stands on the fact that what is prior-Politics or Faith? …Who stands right is very difficult to decide.
The cause of the pandemonium has been due to the unrefined and crude behavior of the parties in their
own interest.

Now, we as the onlookers can just comment a few words on this matter but can’t really look upon for
a decision. The only hope we can stand on, is that, the matter is solved amicably whichever way the
verdict goes.

By - Devansshee Deepak and Vidhi Gupta