Ram Lila

It is hard to understand the prominence given to faith over fact. Perhaps because of this position there have been no riots or protests. It surely represents the popular mind set of the people. As Siddarth Varadarajan wrote, it is like calling the school children and dividing a thing over a dispute. It may have kept the country quite given the Common Wealth Games in the scene. But, in the long term it remains as a ticking bomb. What has been justified by this judgment? Are they justifying the claim of the Hindu fundamentalist forces that brought down the Masjid? Are they saying that Look we have won Ayodhya, we will have Kashi and Mathura!

Getting to the facts, Romila Thapar clearly points out that the verdict has depended on the ASI report that is disputed and not agreed by scholars. 12000 pages of the verdict is completely based on the baseless facts. As if it is new for india to demolish religious structures an build new ones by people of other faiths. We all knew that the Buddhist structures gave way for Hindu Temples and Temples in turn to Masjids and the wheel continues to turn.

In all this mess we are not ready to challenge the very existence of Ram. He does not exist just because a billion people believe he existed. When you ask the question when and where there are atleast two dozen stories claiming different facts. When it is disputed by a christian they immediately say, How do Christians believe that Jesus was born in a particular place in Bethlehem? The truth is that the real birth place is still not known but there no dispute over it as yet. The claims that the current place identified as the birth place of Jesus was actually found in a dream that came to Kinng Constantine's Wife. Who went there and identified the place as the birth place.

Now there is an agreement of the site. Though the disputes continue atleast there is a temporary resolution to the crisis on a place sharing basis. Despite the conflict of claims that wrest with the jews, christians and muslims.

In the case of the birth place of Lord Rama's birth place, many right wing hindu scholars term it as the only place that is called as the Rama Janma Bhoomi. Although there are over 30 sites in Ayodhya that are claimed to be the birth place of Lord Ram.

At this juncture one thing is becoming clear, India is being swallowed by popular ideas of superstition and poverty of rationalism. There are very few who think of the need for empirical evidence that supports any claim. This is a dangerous question that will make us inquire the way in which a lord in a legend becomes real. One thing is becoming clear as this is just the beginning of the great Ram Lila!