Sunday, December 21, 2014

We don't need no religious conversions!

The media, these days, is talking about religious conversions and the 'ghar wapasis' being organised by the Hindutva groups. The conversion of about 50 odd Muslim families to Hinduism, in Agra, a month ago, sadly saw them being ostracised by both the communities subsequently, leaving them in a lurch! It's believed that they're lured into the act with the promise that the government would issue them with their 'Aadhaar' and ration cards, out of turn.

The various Hindutva groups seem to have got their act wrong. While religious beliefs and practices are strong among the Indians, there's no madness associated with religion as such except for a very few misguided ones. Praying to one's God is resorted to as a last resort by individuals to get over the perceived block in achieving their goals! And towards this end, visiting places of worship is but a natural outcome to invoke divine intervention for achieving one's requirements!!

But to mistake it to be the people's blind need to embrace religion would be like missing the woods for the trees! In fact, most of the people - if not all - abhor the practice of pushing religion to the streets in the form of celebration of festivities that invariably results in avoidable traffic blockades and consequent misery.

The fundamental fact that seems to be missed by the so called 'enlightened elite' is that poverty and the lack of means to lead a decent life - by virtue of an accident of birth - pushes an individual to convert to a religious faith that promises them a better life. Period! The need of the hour, therefore, is to eradicate poverty through good and effective governance so that religion recedes into the private and personal space of the individuals, which is the right thing. In the process, the fringe groups that are extremely selfish and narrow minded will lose their relevance!


Tailpiece.

It's fondly hoped that these aberrations would meet its natural end when sane thinking people give it the go by! 

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