Stand up, pray for the success of Secular and Sporting India

With every religious group in numbers, living in perfect harmony since centuries, India is a byname for secularism, as much as it is country that professes the concept of unity in diversity.

World’s largest democracy, birth place of some faiths such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, comes across testing times.

One such is today. A court will deliver a judgment of a 60-year old religious dispute, popularly known as Ram Janmaboomi-Babri Masjid controversy.

18 years before when the issue was at its peak of passion, about 800 lives, mostly poor, were lost. This is even today a plot on the democratic, tolerant and upward looking idea of India.

Today, the 30th September, around 3.30 pm, a High Court will deliver as judgment as to who is the owner of the disputed site on which both a temple and Masjid stood side by side.

Every religious group, political classes cutting across ideological differences, public celebrities, including those who have gone to court, have gone record for peace whatever the result.

Normally this site does not dwell on political matters, as sports we love, is beyond political and other man-made boundaries.

But I have to make an exception today. Because, athletes from 70 countries are today in India. In 48 hours, one of the biggest sporting meets on the globe, is all set to unfold in the city I live.

Any untoward incident following the judgement will send a wrong signal to the world about what is the real India. Is it a tolerant and secular India or bi-partisan one? Is it the vibrant democracy, growth oriented nation?

It is always the duty of the majority to take care of the minority concerns.

India hosts world’s second highest number of Muslims. Only Indonesia has more Muslims than India.

Once George W. Bush on his state visit to India exclaimed: “India is a rare country in which no Al Queda exists”.

This is the name we earned. And for that India paid heavily in the past, and present if not managed properly can go out of hand.

Now as the country’s glorious tradition comes in for test, and while the world sporting community is on our motherland, I request the global sports lovers to stand up and pray for the success of secular India.

So that the judgment goes as routine, with no passion aroused.