Places of workshop are the new conflict and killing fields. Yesterday it was was a gurdwara in Austria. The fallout was in Punjab where public property worth millions has been destroyed. Two days ago a church in Nepal was attacked by those who want to restore the monarchy in that former kingdom. How the monarchy gets restored by killing people praying in a church is beyond understanding.
Mosques get bombed, temples like Akshardham get attacked, chapels in cloistered convents are pillaged and statues broken, altars desecrated...and then the inevitable reaction.
I am reminded of an incident many years ago when a roadside temple was desecrecrated on Mahakali Caves Road in Mumbai. A crowd gathered and sat down on the road to protest, blocking traffic. Among them was a Catholic priest from the nearby SVD Centre. When asked why he had joined the protest, he said he wanted to show his solidarity with those whose feelings were hurt because when a place sacred to some is defiled, that pain is felt by all. Or rather, should be felt by all.
The same could be said of the Babri Masjid. India is still to recover from its destruction, although one of those who witnessed its destruction and was in a way instrumental in that despicable act has now been humbled beyond belief. India's soul is intact, notwithstanding the Advanis, MM Joshis and Uma Bharatis of the far right who think that demolishing a 400-year-old mosque will erase Mughal history in India. ###
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