And no religion too

Courtesy: iyermatter.wordpress.com

I have a friend whose ancestors hail from the land of the Kamasutra. Even though born and bred here, he has not quite severed his umbilical attachment to his roots. His roots are still deeply rooted there. His religious conviction handed down by his ancestors are quite strong and has no qualms displaying his beliefs. He makes frequent pilgrimage trips there and is quite in tune with the latest flavour of the month of the sub-continent.

He once told me of a relative holding quite a high post in the Indian Air Force. Like my Brahmin friend, this guy was steadfast in continuing his Vedic practices through rituals, prayers, regalia to display of proof of his theological conviction on his forehead, vermilion, ash, sandalwood paste and all.

But once he dons his uniform and leaves his abode, he makes it a point to take a glance himself at the mirror to erase all traces of his religious beliefs. He, being a servant of the state, had to display a secular image serving all his brothers and sisters irrespective of their beliefs. He did not want his external appearance be an excuse for his actions to be construed as bias towards or against one section of society. What more, in a society whereby the days, everything is viewed in a rose-tinted lens of religion. Even if his move was in accordance to standard operating protocol, his avatar could be an excuse for favouritism!

It has come to this. There was a time when the public viewed a person of faith as a stable individual who would execute his duties with just. He is assumed to perform with a divine force as the witness without fear or favour. That was a different era in a galaxy far far away. Now, it is a question of my God is 'better than yours'! Anything and everything can be penalised and a mountain can be created out of a molehill, dying to be broadcasted to be sensationalised devoid of merits. The place a man of faith held has been hijacked by bad publicity. A group of fame-seeking and attention yearning leaders have no shame in uttering ridiculous statements for their time in the spotlight, just to be in the limelight.

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RIFLE RANGE BOY

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