| Published on 17-09-2007 In National |
| Viewed 2719 times |
| Bonding together in the name of Ram |
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Written by
Girish Nikam |
When was Ram Born? Do we have any idea? But this is a question, which we are not supposed to ask, lest we hurt the sentiments of the vast mass of Hindus not only in India but also across the world! In fact one would not even be asking this question, in the normal circumstances. But those who have raised a storm in the last week, and are even dreaming of creating a second Ram wave in the country and come back to power, as they are not still reconciled to losing it, have forced this question to be asked.
At the risk of being dubbed as anti-hindu, pro-muslim, and what not, one is asking this question however. Why is it relevant? Because the Vishwa Hindu Parishad mobs which are stalking the streets across the country ostensibly to save Ram and his legacy from the anti-hindu, Italian-lead government at the Centre, is trying to give a historical twist to what is essentially one of the greatest epics in mythology.
One is not going into the merits and de-merits of the Sethusamudram project here, as enough and more is being written about it and discussed all around. But mind you, the controversy itself is not new. It has been there for over 150 years, and one can expect it continue for another 150 years. When fact is pitted against faith, the former inevitably loses.
But only one fact here is worth mentioning. The epic Ramayana is dated by experts as being written in 5,000 BC, which means it is about 7,000 years old. Even if those who believe that Ram is a historical personality and not a mythological figure, than how does that dating reconcile with the archaeologists, marine biologists and oceanographers view, that the so-called Hanuman-inspired, monkey-brigade built bridge to assist Ram to rescue Sita from the clutches of evil Ravana, is actually one lakh year old?
But then we are not supposed to ask logical and rational questions, when it comes to a matter of faith and so be it. This was the mistake made by those responsible for the Archaeological Survey of India affidavit before the Supreme Court, which has created this storm. Even the Communists have gone on record, yes the same atheist Prakash Karat, saying that the ASI went beyond its brief by bringing in the extraneous factor of whether Ram is a historical personality or not.
The ASI, they say, should have stuck to there expertise and said whatever they had to say about the origin of the natural sandstone sedimentation, which according to isotopic dating is over one lakh years old and that it is not man or monkey-made! It was then left to the wisdom of the Supreme Court to decide whether Ram setu has any historical and monumental significance and also whether it would cause Tsunamis or degrade environment.
However if the ASI had indeed done that, it would have secretly disappointed the BJP and the VHP leadership. They would not have had a cause to fight for.
Look at the advantages of this over-eagerness of whoever it is at the ASI for the BJP and the VHP. It has given leaders like its Prime Minister-in-waiting L.K.Advani another knock at projecting himself as the saviour of Lord Ram in this country; it has given the election-going Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi to resume his Sonia Gandhi-bashing and her Italian-origin, it has also given the BJP as a party an issue which it has desperately been in search of ever since it lost power in 2004. It also has helped in patching up the relations with Shiv Sena, which had deteriorated to unprecedented levels, ever since the two came together over 20 years back.
It has also given the Vishwa Hindu Parishad an issue to take to the streets and probably also mend the relations with the BJP. It may also bring together the two squabbling Gujarati icons of the Hindu brigade, Narendra Modi and Pravin Togadia. It also gives the BJP and the sangh parivar another opportunity to make inroads in the South of India, whether they succeed or not is another matter. And all this also gives the tottering BJP another hope at another shot at power, or that's what they think.
But look at the flip side. All this integration of the sangh parivar forces, which had in the recent past assumed almost fratricidal dimensions, is also bound to however have a bonding effect in the opposite camp. The BJP leadership, which has been witnessing with glee the UPA-left "nuclear warfare" over American connections, may just be helping the two forces to re-unite. The simple reason for that will be, as the Ram setu bridges the differences within the sangh parivar, it will remind the UPA partners and the left parties of the original intent for which they came together.
The more vociferous and combined is the attack of the Sangh Parivar towards the UPA government, and more momentum they build up invoking the name of Ram, the more will be the reason for the secular forces to build bridges. Already discerning readers and viewers must have noticed that the nuclear deal has been banished into inside pages and the TV news is almost silent on what's happening on that front. Though the issue is serious enough not to disappear from the minds of the left parties or the Government, the focus has been shifted. And that gives the parties space to tackle it in a more congenial atmosphere.
The Congress leadership and especially the Prime Minister must be thanking the BJP for shifting the focus and forcing the left parties to open their eyes to the original problem when they came together with the UPA to form the Government in 2004 --- that of keeping the communal forces at bay.
And if the Ram setu campaign of the BJP and its allies build up, one can be sure that all those predictions of early elections may just come to a naught. The marriage may just have to continue---in the name of Ram! |
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