The story of religiosity in India is not just the story of conflict, demolition or massacre. It is also the story of interfaith prayer, embracing another religion’s customs and rituals without shedding one’s own. Even as the dogmatic take extreme positions and incite intolerance, common people across the country live in harmony and brotherhood, in peaceful oneness.
They reflect, in various shades, the exalted tradition of enlightened teachers like Sankardev and Kabir, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Shirdi Sai Baba. This is but natural in a country that has seen Dara Shikoh translating the Upanishads into Persian; and in modern times, an ordinary Muslim of Chhattisgarh, Razzak Khan Tikari, performing the last rites of his Hindu friend Santosh Singh in 2015; and Chief Justice of India Uday Umesh Lalit doing humble service at the Baba ki Dargah in Nagpur. The custodian of the dargah was invited to the swearing-in of the chief justice this August.
Almost all pilgrims to the Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, Kerala, also worship at a mosque dedicated to Vavar, a Muslim warrior, on the way. The Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest site for the Sikhs, attracts people of different religions every day. The Baha’i House of Worship, better known as Lotus Temple, in Delhi encourages people of all faith to participate in its prayer service several times a day.
In the following pages THE WEEK takes you through soul-stirring stories of interfaith worship from across the country.
SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Mountain of faith
Ritualism and fanaticism can be overcome by true devotion and spiritual elevation
This story is from the September 18, 2022 edition of THE WEEK India.
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This story is from the September 18, 2022 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
