A hartal has been declared today in Palakkad district of Kerala as a result of clashes between the Hindus and the Muslims over the construction of a temple in an area where Muslims are in a majority. I do not wish to discuss the merits of this case here. But what I would discuss is two simple things - why do we still fight over a temple or a mosque and is declaring a hartal a solution for this.
It seems that we have not learnt anything at all in the wake of the Babri Mazjid case. May be some people are still in a frenzy, but it is to be accepted that the their frenzy is kept well alive by none other than a clique of politicians. I myself have heard a politician from a major political party in India proudly saying that he had participated in the Babri Mazjid demolition and he said with much more pride that he did manage to break a part of its wall. The worst part was that this politician was explaining about this incident not to me in private, but to a group of young people aspiring to become politicians. What a message to share with a young group like this! To almost every problem in a democratic country, the solution and the final decision comes from the representatives of the people - the politicians. They should, hence, in their personal and public life set exemplary standards. Politicians like the one mentioned above are doing no good to the people who elected them to office. Rather than professing 'my religion is better than yours', one should proudly say and preach 'humanity is my religion' and work towards the betterment of all human beings, irrespective of their religious faiths. After all religious faith is only one such aspect among many others, on which an individual rests his living. Moreover, in this modern age, all religions are evolving. There is not a single religion that has not changed over the years. Agitating and fighting over something that is already evolving and that too for the good by any reckoning is nothing but futile.
Declaring a hartal for such an issue is totally ridiculous. It has been a habit of we Indians, especially that of Keralites, to declare a hartal for anything and everything. Thank God, the term 'satyagraha' is not being used, for it would have degraded the very basis of our country's freedom movement. The habit of observing a hartal has been imbibed from our long crusade for freedom. The man who popularized it and used it the most is none other than the Father of our Nation - Gandhiji. It would hence be most appropriate to follow what he did and this is what he had to say about observing a hartal or a satyagraha.
Disobedience to be civil must be sincere, respectful, restrained, never defiant, must be based upon some well-understood principle, must not be capricious and above all, must have no ill-will or hatred behind it.
Clearly, declaring a hartal over an issue that occurred between 2 religions and in which there was 'defiance' of one by the other, goes against the spirit as it is based on 'ill-will' and 'hatred'. Discussions, talks and reaching a consensus would be the most apt alternative. Construction of a religious institution is not that urgent a matter that it needs to be done expeditiously and that the time spared for talks and deliberations would hamper it in any way. But declaring a hartal for a day as a show of strength certainly hampers the life of the common man.
