Religion as a unifying force

The unveiling of Divya Kashi-Bhavya Kashi recently by the Prime Minister was a grand spectacle. The plan to transform one of the most ancient cities of the world from a dirty and congested urban space into a modern city while retaining its essential traditional features is noteworthy. The Kashi Vishwanath Dham project, costing Rs 900 crore, includes a corridor to ease the traffic movement across the city, cleaning up of the temple surroundings, restoration of ghats and creating a link between the temple and the ghats, an emporium, a museum, mural paintings and more.

While questions can be raised about mixing religion and politics and the propriety of a Prime Minister participating in religious ceremonies under public gaze, the fact remains that the renewed look of ancient Varanasi has thrilled the hearts of many Hindus, who believe that a visit to Kashi would lead them to moksha. It has also evoked a grudging admiration from people of other religions.

This is not surprising as an overwhelming majority of the people in India are religious by nature. A survey of religion and attitudes towards religion, conducted by the US-based Pew Research between late 2019 and 2020, found that irrespective of faiths, Indians are a deeply conservative people — from food habits to marriage and religious beliefs. Only 3% of the general population does not believe in God, and interestingly, while only 2% of Hindus are non-believers, among Muslims, this figure is 6%.

Read more: Kashi corridor: Highway of faith or narrow lane of communal politics?

This brings me to the question, why not use religion as a unifying force to foster values common to all religions, such as love, compassion, charity and a spirit of service? This may sound impractical at a time when we are witnessing increasing intolerance, hate speech and polarising tendencies. Actually, those who indulge in these divisive tactics -- a section of self-seeking politicians, religious leaders and some mischievous elements, are a small minority, while the vast majority of all communities desire peace and harmony.

Another interesting finding of the Pew Research survey is that 91% of those surveyed felt that they are free to practise their religion and over 80% said that respecting all religions is important to being truly Indian and an important part of their religious identity. So, it is the tiny, vocal minority we need to counter, and religion in its true spirit offers the best antidote against religion or politics aimed at fostering conflicts. Not an easy task, but here are my suggestions.

Government must replicate the idea of the Kashi project in other parts of India, for two reasons. First, it is a well-conceived project and efficiently executed within the scheduled time, acting as a trend-setter for the renewal of other cities, particularly the temple towns. Secondly, it can restore confidence among people who regard Modi and the ruling party as biased towards northern India and in promoting only Hindutva. The State’s role must, however, be restricted to creating infrastructure and tourist facilities, leaving the task of temple improvement to temple authorities.

And there would be nothing better than starting from the South, and making Hampi in Karnataka the “Kashi of the South”. Hampi houses the temple of Virupaksha, a form of Lord Shiva, and was the capital of the magnificent Vijayanagar Empire which reached the pinnacle of its glory under the renowned king Krishnadevaraya in the 16th century. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, spread over a vast area with several pretty structures reflecting the grandeur of the Vijayanagar empire and attracting a large number of visitors, but it lacks infrastructure and tourist facilities. Hampi is waiting for a makeover on the lines of Varanasi, but with its own unique features.

There are several other temples in the South and other regions crying for attention. Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, home to the temple of Ramanathaswamy where Rama is said to have worshipped on his way back from Sri Lanka. The temple has the longest set of corridors in the world and is a sight to behold; the Jagannath temple in Puri, with its unique wooden idols of the trio of deities -- Krishna in the form of Lord Jagannatha, and his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, attracting huge crowds, especially during the annual Rath Yatra. It is also home to the Govardhan Peetha, established by Sankaracharya; Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara atop a hill in Andhra Pradesh at the foothills of Tirupati, the richest temple in India, drawing the largest number of pilgrims almost every day.
All such temple towns need a complete makeover not only because of their religious significance but in view of their contribution to the economy and society. The full potential of the temple economy in India is yet to be exploited.

The Prime Minister, who swears by the ideal of sabka sath sabka vikas, must translate it into practice by including shrines of all faiths in his revival plan. To begin with, on the lines of Char Dham, create a ‘Panch Dham’, an inter-religious pentagon, connecting the Catholic church of Velankanni in Tamil Nadu in the South, the shrine of Sai Baba at Shirdi near Pune in the West, the Sharif Dargah, a tomb of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chisti at Ajmer in Rajasthan, the Sikh holy place of Amritsar in the North and the Buddhist sacred town of Sarnath in the East. All of them attract people of different faiths and stand as models of inter-religious unity.

Finally, organisations engaged in the promotion of moral and spiritual values as well as in service to society and which carry credibilities, such as the Ramakrishna Mission, Chinmaya Mission, Siddaganga Math, Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity and similar organisations of different denominations, must be involved in curbing communalism and casteism, and promoting inter-faith unity and social harmony.

People in India have greater faith in religious leaders than in politicians or any other tribe, and are likely to be influenced by what they say. As Swami Vivekananda eloquently said, “Holiness, purity and charity are not the exclusive possession of any church in the world, and every system has produced men and women of the most exalted character”.

More than an anti-conversion law, what we need today is a conversion of hearts to following one’s own beliefs while respecting those of others, be they believers, atheists or agnostics.

(The writer is a former Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka)