Road to faith and faith on roads (Temples Demolition Drive in Gujarat)

[Guest guest]

Road to faith and faith on Roads

None ever has disputed the sanctity of faith.

It is necessary that we safeguard the diversity of faiths, seek to build places of worship and protect the those symbols of faith that have great historic and mythological legacies. There are hundreds of such locations and destinations in our country and we build roads to them, so that people can reach them and quench the thirst of their faiths.On the other hand, it is also true that in our nation, the symbols of faith are often built on the roads instead of roads being laid to reach them. This serves specific vested interests and once built, the aura of faith can be made to surround them, making it difficult to distinguish between places of real value and the ones of intended value. There are instances where small places of worship come into existence overnight in order to secure private control over public property.

This poses two level difficulty. One - the irregular network of these structures over a time will undermine the urban planning principles and will dislodge the integrity of master plans of development that are prepared for our collective well-being. Two - it breeds groups of vested interests who turn these little places into dens of commercial activities in the name of faith and disturb the public order. Both of these are not in the best interests of civilization, civil liberty and public safety.

Therefore, it is important to make a distinction whether 'worship is work', while we all accept that 'work is worship'. It is important that the principles of prosperous public life are not ridiculed by an assumption that every place of worship, regardless of its antecedent, should be protected.

Demolition of structures that are deterrent to development is not to be politicised or given a colour of religious controversy. We all know of the famous reply Mirza Ghalib gave when a Mulla objected to his drinking in a mosque " Ghalib sharab peene de, Masjid mein baith kar Ya aisi jagah bata, jahaan khudaa na ho…" Faith is not something which is disregarded or dishonoured if a public structure is removed. Faith in its real splendour is deep seated and mature enough that it makes way for community safety and public prosperity. The ongoing demolition drive of places of worship in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar must be viewed in this spirit.

by

V K SAXENA

PRESIDENT

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES

AHMEDABAD