Why politicize Religion when all Religions are equal

As a student, I have heard the word Religion in Social Studies class when my class teacher Ms. Ranjini at N.S.M. Public School taught us about the German economist Karl Marx’s phrase ‘the religion is the opium of the masses’.

As a child, religion meant occasionally going to the temple with parents, praying at home (the prayers were intense during exam and unit test times), celebrating various festivals and wearing new clothes (if we could) during Diwali and Sankranthi.  In the class, like in any other school, we had friends from all religions. The names didn’t ring anything in the mind at that point in time nor do they now except being proper nouns. They were just friends and classmates, not a Muslim or a Christian or a Hindu. They are friends for life.

We have Christian missionary schools that contributed a lot to education in India and continue to do so. There are teachers from all religions working in such schools. Every school or college in the country is a mini-India where people of all types co-exist and study together.

At school, we had no elections, no positions of power and no money to make from whatever positions those were there. The class leader (CL) was selected by the class teacher and it was purely based on either academic excellence or merit in sports or talent in extra-curricular activities. Nobody in the class had any complaints on the selection of the CLs as there was transparency in the choice of a CL. It is the just the opposite in the political world where money and muscle play a crucial role.

It is only as we entered the college that the dirty seed of politics is sown in the young fresh minds during students’ union elections. The students are divided more on caste lines and not necessarily on religious lines. Division on caste lines for the sake of votes is another gravest mistake by political parties.

As a school or college student, when we had no issues about religion, why is it an issue as a grown up and mature citizen of India? Actually, it is not. As most would agree, the reason is more to do with political leaders and parties who for the sake of votes try to divide people on religious lines.

I am especially impressed with the way Sri Vidya Prakasanandagiri Swamy of Sri Suka Brahma Ashram in Sri Kalahasti (AP) explained what religion is all about in a simple and easy to understand concept. He equated religion to the radius of a circle. Let me elaborate on what Swamji said :

1.       Each of the radii terminates at the center of the circle. All religions show us the path to God and end with the realization of God.

2.       No radius intersects with the other.  We need not interfere in other’s belief systems.

3.       The radii originate from various points on the circumference of a circle but their joining point is the same, the center of the circle. We may start from different points and travel on different paths but the goal is the same.

4.        All radii are all of the same length. No religion is greater than the other.

It will be good for the country if those leaders trying to divide and rule the people based on religion, claiming to be secular and playing the minority on majority or vice-versa to garner votes, avoid doing so. It is also imperative that those religious fanatics who want to play to the tunes of such sectarian political leaders claiming to be secular not to fall prey to the divisive games.

 ALL RELIGIONS ARE EQUAL. Never forget the radius of the circle that emphasizes this belief.