Religion – An Annihilator of Revolution

#AYODHYAVERDICT

If you believe religion is about Gods, your entire belief is oblivious. Religion is the most successful political structure there has ever been. In its mesmerizing form, it makes you believe that “this” is the epitome of life. You surrender your logical faculties. And before you know it, you are a pawn defined by your insignias of the way you dress, sit, eat, speak – and oh, how you are programed to think.

Every faith in its heart does hold a truth. A truth in how we can perceive life and make it purposeful. The abstractness of these faiths helps one to stay humble and generous in times of fortune. It gives strength and courage in times of adversity. These philosophies are embodied in stories, sculptures, songs, dances, rituals and the valiant mythical characters, which stimulate the senses. The beauty of these faiths is real. Man’s inherent power quest is also real. Hence this power-hungry savage of man, makes this thing of beauty his mode of business. He becomes the ultimate parasite. And this infected faith is what becomes a religion!

Religion normalizes inequalities. It justifies why some men have their hands overflowing with wealth while other men have the stench of human excreta coming from theirs. It prescribes different ways to attack the dignity of a woman in a systematic framework. It has made sex, the most primal act for existence, a thing of sin, dishonor and shame. And many more atrocities find validation.

Time and time again, there is a revolution against these atrocities. Brave men have come forth and saved a degenerating humanity with their wisdom. Some have walked endlessly at times, highlighting all that is wrong in our thinking. Some have penanced in stillness, to find answers to life’s questions and share that message. Some of these men were cowherds, shepherds, merchants and kings. These revolutionaries are the saviors of humanity.

But what happens the day after the revolution? After the maverick spirit of these spearheads leave the mortal body?  The messiahs are celebrated, glorified and immortalized. New business opportunity is found, and a new generation of parasites are born. What those wise souls fought against while living, in their afterlife are made mediums of establishing new atrocities. Thus, a new religion is born.

The Indian Freedom story is one of the greatest revolutions, something that today’s generation is coming to recognize now. The freedom movement was not just about transferring the governance from the British Raj through a non-violent means. It was to unite fragmented and diverse people of huge inequalities carried through generations, under a single democratic governance.  Here too, religion played politics with partition. Yet, it does not take away from the far greater achievement of making this nation a secular country for close to seven decades. The secured atmosphere allowed for development and growth to thrive across many spheres. Surely, many areas still needed focus and improvement. Corruption wasn’t non-existent. There were still cries for justice. In hindsight they seemed solvable issues.

But today, this revolution called as “Democratic India” is under threat. This time too, it is religion which is spelling the doomsday. There have been only increasing number of incidents of intolerance and violence, where one group is bulldozing all other. But when you have a body like the Supreme Court pass the verdict on Ayodhya, you wonder if anything at all can give you hope – even theoretically?  

The various religions of the world are the crypts of humanity. They possess the greatest riches of the human mind. Through creation of Gods, they project the simplest of philosophies. Traditions, cultures and festivals are meant for creating shared values and experiences. Religion, a concept that is meant to bring peace, ironically has been the main reason for violence across ages.

And today, Hindu extremists are annihilating the very Constitution of India!