Let’s build at Ayodhya..

My view on the Ayodhya judgement stems from the Babri masjid demolition, which I hold as a criminal act. Not because a masjid was demolished there.

I saw that as a criminal act, a blow to the dharma of Hindu religion.

It was an attempt (I beg pardon from my muslim and christian friends) to ‘islamize’ or ‘christianize’ this great religion and straight jacket the entire Hinduism into Ram and Ayodhya. I saw it at as an attempt to destory the tolerant, vibrant and progressive nature of our way of life and make it rigid like other religions.

Coming to the actual judgement, the learned judges themselves have recorded by majority opinion, that there was masjid in which worship was offered till 1949 and have also concured that idols of Lord Ram and Sita came in only in December 1949. Given these facts, I would have expected them to close the case with this information.

But they went deeper into 1535 and there was no unanimous agreement between judges. One said a temple was demolished and built by Babur. Another said a structure (not mosque) was built but not by Babur. Another (U.Khan) said a mosque was built by Babur on the ruins of a temple,  but not demolished by Babur.

And with these non-unanimous conclusions, two of them divided the land to be handed over to Nirmohi Akhoras, All India Hindu Mahasabha and Sunni Wakf board.

If the learned judges wanted to give the land to Hindus for building Ram temple and muslims for building masjid, how can they decide that Nirmohi Akhora and All India Hindu Mahasabha represent the Hindus and Sunni wakf board represent muslims..?

India has nearly a billion Hindus. Out of these Hindus, oddly few thousands of them and that too in some parts of North India would  even know such organizations  exist. Same is the case with Muslims who get nothing from Sunni Wakf board. So it is highly unfair to distribute land freely to some organizations because they were party to litigation.

Should not the land be given to Government of India and not these organizations ?

But let me say this. Let us forget Ayodhya, let’s move on.

India has huge number of temples all over the country. I have seen so many pavements occupied by mandir and masjids all over the country. They have become properties for private parties to make money in the name of mandirs and masjids. India does not lack temples.

India lacks schools. India lacks toilets. India lacks research and development. India lacks good quality collegiate education.

India lacks capable people. 70% of its people, by living in poor standards, provide cheap, slave labor to the remaining 30% and thereby enable them to provide cheap labor the west. We need to raise the standards of people, make us self-sufficient  and not depend on cheap labor model alone to grow.

As Mahakavi Bharati said ‘Let’s make schools and colleges our temples‘. God exists in education and knowledge and not in temples, idols and structures. If one sincerely believes in God, let’s build more schools and colleges.

If Nirmohi Akhora and All India Hindu Mahasabha gets 2/3rd of land of 23 acres, there is nothing in it to cheer for ordinary Hindus. They will build temple for Ram, commercialize Ram  by sellings his posters, stickers, dollars etc. They will charge for Privelege and VIP access to Ram as the crowds grow. What does the ordinary Hindu get..?

If Sunni wakf board gets 1/3rd, they will do the same thing and sell in a different way. No ordinary muslim will get anything out of it.

We can build the world’s largest University at Ayodhya.  Remember in those days, India had the largest University at Nalanda. Since then we have slipped badly and lost the knowledge edge to West. Ram and Babur can come together at Ayodhya, help build this largest univeristy and help us reclaim our lost glory.

Which is better for future India..?

We can build the world’s largest library in Ayodhya. We can bring in all our old manuscripts from different parts of India and make them available there. We can dig deeper into communities,  record all the treasures of knowledge we have in terms of folk songs, medical practices and procedures that are followed for centuries and various other hidden treasures of India. We can bring the latest of knowledge on science and technologies to India through this library.

Is idol of Ram or Masjid better than these..? After all God resides in Knowledge.

I appeal to both Hindu groups and Muslim groups. Stop this non-sense. Give up your claims for Mandir and Masjid. Yes we accept crimes have been committed by religious zealots on both sides from the time masjid was demolished. And those perpetrators will face the eternal dharma of our land and will get punished.

But for now, give up the claims.

Let us all together build the best of a college or library at that place in Ayodhya. And from there, let’s build the best of the country in this world, a country that leads the civilization of the globe, as it did 5000 years ago.

-TBT