Ramjanmabhoomi

I put on my secular armour and trudged off to my study refusing to watch the "event" on 05AUG20. The better half used a two pronged strategy - she first turned on the TV volume way up and secondly she pleasantly requested me to participate, not once , but twice. That was signal enough for the trained husband in me to drop everything and reach the drawing room , before the third "request"

Fortunately it was the tail end of the programme and our PM had just stepped in front of the microphone.

Oratory is a strong weapon .Some of the great speeches can move me to tears ...Its power is proven in Hitlers' Germany , in Churchills' England, in Martin Luther Kings' quest for justice.

Our PM is an orator of class... in the Hindi language. As his praise of  Lord Rama built traction , I too felt elated. I hasten to add I am spiritual and religious ( in the ritualistic sense) , but not a rabid fundamentalist and have not read the Vedas or even the epics in full. I am at ease avoiding TV depictions of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The PM spoke of a binding force of our scriptures, of its sweep across Far East and Mid West Asia. 

Truly faith can move mountains and we need to respect a persons' faith. It can never be debated upon , for debate requires logic and reasoning and faith transcends both. It has its place across the world. It is built upon strong belief, emanating from a combination of  genes and environment.  If so called "educated" persons like me can defend faith, what about the gullible, illiterate and the unemployed poor seeking any opportunity to feel part of the  milieu?  

The swiftness of the closure of a 70 year old legal matter, the laying of the foundation stone, and the muted ( if at all) opposition is at one level ominous , but at another level positive. This Party is focussed on stated objectives and when a mandate is there, it would fulfill the objectives. The armchair intellectuals and columnists will use the comfort of their study and their pen to present an unpleasant narrative. The Hoi Polloi see a government that is bold. 

Sridhar

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