Even before the arrival of summer, this time not only the temperature of the weather has started rising, but the temperature has also started rising rapidly on the social thermometer. You can say that there is nothing very unfortunate between these two. Many times there is a strong heat and there have been many occasions when living together in the society starts feeling some discomfort, that is, the tension appears to increase on the occasion of any festival.
Many people may try to politicize this changing environment or put all the blame on their heads, but this is their own point of view. Can you try to take a look inside yourself on this issue once? Are we becoming haters in mind and who is filling this poison in our mind? It is no longer a matter of increasing communal tension on processions, processions and festivals, nor is it just a matter of electoral politics to divide people to win elections. Are the walls starting to get stronger now? Far from bridging the gap, is its width increasing? There is a cure for a disease only when you know its root, understand the merge, know the cause. Closing the eyes or coming into ‘denial mode’ does not cure the disease at all, but the possibility of its progression definitely increases. It seems, now the time has come to recognize the disease and also understand the reasons that increase it.
A study was done by ‘CSDS’ in the year 2016. If this is to be believed, then three-fourth of the population has no problem with any religion, any festival, procession and procession. They have no problem with the neighbor being of any religion. Less than a quarter of the people feel troubled by the loudspeaker installed in the temple or mosque and the azaan or bhajan heard on it. Most people do not have any problem with your food and drink, but according to a study, more than 60 percent of the country’s population eats non-vegetarian food. If we add to this those who do not refrain from eating eggs, then this figure sits above 70 percent. According to the National Family Health Survey-5, in more than half of the country’s 30 states and union territories, 90 percent of the population eats fish or chicken. In only four states, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat, 60 per cent of the population is reported to be vegetarian. In Rajasthan, about 75 percent of the people are vegetarian. According to government figures, most of the big houses engaged in the meat industry are Hindu families. So can we divide religion on the basis of food? The Allahabad High Court has set aside the decision of the Uttar Pradesh government, which had banned the sale of meat in the open during Navratri.
Is this also true? Now language, clothes and food have become the identity of religion in the thinking of a large section of the society. Now we have started distributing Kheer and Biryani. Pajama and masculine dhoti have been divided. We have started considering English as the language of Hindus and Urdu as the language of Muslims. Do you know that in a large part of the country people speak their respective regional languages? The division of our states has been done on linguistic basis, not on religious basis. Urdu is the language of most filmmakers, playwrights and artists, but their script is Devanagari, that is, English. Most of the famous hymns are written and sung by Muslim artists. Most of the masters of the music world are Muslims. Have you ever seen the Dagar brothers singing Vedic hymns or teaching Dhrupad? But we have also divided qawwali and bhajan. He also distributed poetry and poetry. Mushairas and Kavi Sammelans are also being divided now.
This is also an incomplete truth, because a large part of the country, a large population is still not falling for you. Even now Muslim artisans do the work of decorating Ramlala’s dress in Ayodhya or Kanhaiya in Vrindavan. The ringing bells in Hindu temples are made by the Muslim artisans and traders of Jalesar. The fragrance and frolic of the colors of Holi comes from Muslim hands. The color of Kalawa climbing in the Vindhyavasini temple of Mirzapur is climbed by the hands of Muslim artists. Hindus distribute sweets on the occasion of Eid at the tomb of Deva Sharif in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh. Be it the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer or the dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin in Delhi, 70 percent of the people who go there are Hindus. Muslims line up for worship at the temple of Jharkhandi Mahadev in Khajni village of Gorakhpur. Talking about business, whether it is the carpet industry of Jaipur or the multi-crore trade of colored stones every day, artisans are Muslims and traders are Hindus. The condition of Surat’s diamond industry is more or less the same.
The issue is not about tension or riots on festivals or any special occasion. This issue is of rot in the mentality, whose stench is now spreading in the society. Don’t leave yourself to play in the hands of politicians. You are not the puppet whose strings are in the hands of politicians. You are healthy, alert, intelligent and can make your own decisions. There is no such battle which cannot be won by love, so love yourself first and then with your friends and neighbors. Recognize by heart, not by clothes. I remember a line from Tehzeeb Hafi – Whether I come in trouble or not, you would love to give me a voice.
(These are the author’s own views)