religion Archives - DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

Raising children with no religion: a parental ideology

By DU Beat August 25, 2019

Parents of two daughters narrating as why it was so imperative to raise their children with no religious beliefs is a tale that lights a new perspective of secularity and dharma.

In today’s time where national politics has boiled down to religion. It became important for me to ask my parents why they raised me and my sister with no religious faith. And here is there answer in my parents’ words

‘People often mistake our choice of upbringing our children as our unawareness about our religion, other religions and spirituality in general. However, it was only truly understanding teachings of holy books, the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Quran, the Bible and others that we came to this conclusion that our children will follow no particular religion.

If someone actually takes the time to understand these texts, he/she will realize that the end goal or the preaching of each book is the same. It states very evidently that all of us are a small part of larger conscious and each says that the only path of living is to be dutiful and responsible. If all paths have same ideals and all end goals are same, then why should we pre-impose certain set of rules on our kids and rob them of the choice of finding the path that convinces their individuality. It is the same as saying that our child would be a doctor.

In 2001, our first child was born, at that point admiring our daughter both of us decided we will never rob her of her originality as a human. All we will do is give her exposure to all rights and all wrongs associated with each philosophy and religion, then she can make an informed decision of what she believes for herself.

The other thing we strongly believed was, once we start belonging to a particular religion or follow a certain thought process, we lose the capability of imbibing the great of other religions and questioning the flaws of ours. When we wanted our daughters to meet people, we wanted them to judge them on their opinions and thoughts, not where they come from and what they follow.

The greatness of our nation lies in the fact, that all people from various ideologies can co-exist and celebrate all types of festivals with each other and we wanted our kids to enjoy all spheres of the society.

A huge problem we faced was if we had subjected our kids to one particular thought, we would have the risk of them being victims of false propaganda and pseudo-spirituality which is preached often by bearers of these particular religions and our children lacking the exposure would have taken them as the gospel truth.

We wanted our children to understand that to respect your community, you need to respects others first because all have the same purpose and teachings, to make sensitive human beings. Our choice also allowed us to interpret their teachings in the way we understood, instead of how they are manifested in society.’

My father added, ‘The biggest motivation of teaching no religious ideology to our daughters came when I studied Bhagwat Geeta, a sentence said ‘ek aadmi ka dharma kya hai’, when I analyzed this I got stuck on the word ‘dharma’, I realized this word is used in the context of duty. As in, if you translate this word to the English text, it means duty and not religion. In fact, Hindu sub-texts don’t have a word for religion. In our Sankskriti, religion is nowhere mentioned, only duty is. Duty towards your parents, towards your environment and fellow people. And this definition of dharma is same for every religious ideology. It is not that Hinduism teaches you to take care of your parents, but Sikhism doesn’t. So, religion is just a set of rules to fulfil that dharma. So, if I make my kids dutiful, they won’t need religion. Religion only became an unnecessary word to separate us into smaller groups and propagate politics and is nowhere involved in the personal growth of human beings.’

‘People often say you will find Moksha and Nirvana through religion and that’s not true at all. They believe that our Geeta says that the following religion rigidly finds you happiness, a saying in Geeta has been translated to ‘tu kam kare ja fal ki chinta mat kar’ means you work and god will give you your prize in next life or when you reach heaven. It actually means that when you do a good deed, you instantly feel happiness. and when you hurt someone, you feel guilty.

It also paves the way to think that humans in their intrinsic fabric have a moral compass, then you don’t need religion or set of rules to fulfil your dharma.

Religion has no role in personal development, otherwise people wouldn’t kill each other for religion. It is a means of highlighting festivals to move economy or have a system for society.

We wanted our children to be rationalists, for them to always have the capability of asking questions. Both of us come from scientific backgrounds and we knew the importance of scientific temperament. It gives you the power of innovation and yet a check on reality. Science is fact-based that gives you concrete knowledge you can build upon, but history has been the witness of so many religious texts becoming irrelevant due to scientific advancements. When Galileo Galilei proved there are moons orbiting Jupiter, it forced the Bible to accept that earth is not the centre of solar system and the universe. These holy texts were written as per the need of the society then. However, they should adapt to the needs of society today. And being part of one religion would’ve halted their personal evolution.

In conclusion, I believe all we wanted was that our children to be kind, dutiful and secular. When we mean secular, we mean they can do whatever they want until they hurt someone else. We don’t mean pro-Hindu or pro-Muslim, just inclusive, pro-choice, pro-people and constitutional citizens. Hence, philosophy and scientific narrative proved to be better tools of upbringing than religion ever did.’

Listening to their answer, it made me wonder, is religion the root cause of the bias that we share as a society and does liberal children, hope to solve pressing problems of today. Whatever the answer to those questions be, it is imperative that we have children and youth, free from every bias so they can pave way for a more inclusive, sensitive and better society.

Feature Image Credits: Sacred Games (Netflix)

Chhavi Bamba

DU’s take on the Zomato Debacle

By Sakshi Arora August 18, 2019

With Zomato delivery executives in Bengal protesting against the delivery of beef by Hindus and pork by Muslims, we see solidarity against the food delivery giant which finds itself in turmoil.

Another day in our secular country, another attempt made to communalise food on the religious grounds while the entire narrative on twitter shifts into countless debates on eating beef or pork.

However, for the students of the University of Delhi (DU), this opens up an interesting arena of speculation.

The majority of the student body considered animal cruelty as the reason for not eating beef/pork and very few considered religion to be behind this. A student stated, “I am against any sort of animal slaughter done for the sake of greed, taste or nutrition. They are sentient beings that deserve to live and we can survive without eating them.”

To further elaborate this point another student added, “I belong from a rural background, I am aware of the significance of livestock and cattle in shaping the life of village folks. Right from the agricultural activities, with the dung cakes used as fuel to cook food, to the dairy products used in everyday life, cattle form an essential part of their lives. I don’t consider religion to be the reason behind my choice.”

When religion comes into this narrative, the views are conflicting. Most of the students consider it as a matter of personal choice. However, it seems evident that family and upbringing plays an important role in influencing and strengthening one’s views. Some of them term it as a “disgraceful sin”, while others don’t associate themselves with this debate.

Another student came forward with a separate angle on this debate. She said, “It would be good if people try to understand why their religion tells them not to eat beef or pork, the idea behind it might still be relevant.” She further added that eating or not eating any kind of meat is a personal choice as long as one is not enforcing their opinions on others. According to her, if some religious institutions have certain rules about the consumption of meat then it should be followed while one is within the premises of that institution out of respect.

On the other hand, a part of the DU student body is much in the favour of consumption of beef and pork. “If it appeases the taste buds, it goes on top of the favourite food list” says a History student. The consensus either leans towards exploring the various delicacies that meat has to offer or rebelling against the societal diktats. As one student puts it, “I eat pork even though nobody in my family does. It’s my life and nobody can force me to not do something if I want to. I don’t eat beef because I never felt like trying it.”

Growing up it was hard to acknowledge the idea that beef can be eaten and God won’t smite you if you indulge in this practice. It was even harder to understand that people consume beef and it is perfectly normal for them as they are not indoctrinated into the belief that cow is a holy animal, the way I was from the age when my senses were not even fully developed. However, your beliefs and practices cannot be imposed on another person.

Like a rusty coin, with two alternative sides, this debate is going to be here for a long time much to the delight of the debating circuit of the varsity. Till then, I am here with my double-decker beef burger with a side of bacon to see how this whole debate moves forward.

Feature Image credits: WSLM radio

Antriksha Pathania

Tu: A Stupendous Specimen of Film-making

By DU Beat May 22, 2019

Here is my review of Tu (you), a short film by Royals Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films starring Sayani Gupta and Arjun Radhakrishnan.

Tu, a short film directed by Rahul Nangia, is a meticulously crafted tale of two ill-fated lovers told in under eight minutes. In its run time, it successfully establishes the relationship and its conflict. The tonality and lighting are dark, their space seems claustrophobic, the blatant intimacy between the two leading characters in the opening shot itself makes you uncomfortable, and ever since the beginning, the audience understands that their relationship is doomed.

The film runs on a single string conversation between the two lovers where the writers have brilliantly woven their love story which unfolds in front of your eyes. Over the course of this conversation, you realise that her name is Supriya, while he is a Murtaza; that their inconspicuous meetings are going on for a long time now; that she is the one who is rebellious (because she arranges the rooms for their meetings); that he is utterly scared of his father and works at his shop; that she is engaged to another person; that he is still economically dependent on his father (his phone is taken away because the bill was INR 3,000) and even though all this is an age-old, monotonous, repetitive conflict you still become completely invested in their story.

Visually, the short film aims at making you aware of the couple’s comfortable relationship. Throughout the film, we only see the two characters totally invested into each other, giving us a closer look at their bond which further fuels our pity for them. In the midst of this, using the narrative of them watching their old video at Mumbai’s Lover’s Point, out in the open, under the blue sky, near the uncontrollable waves of the sea and away from their present situation works wonders for the film. It symbolises the naivety of love, which transforms into a complex cacophony when it transcends the societal demands and rules.

The ending is ambiguous, but anyone can complete the story without any faults because it is a story which has been told a million times, one which we all have heard, read or watched. The last sequence leading up to the end shows the two characters panic-stricken, running around in their limited space, the rebellious girl finding an escape while the scared boy all set to face the reality, with their wobbly voices running in the background. You can hear the tears in their voices and the rawness of their fear. Herein, again, the screen miraculously cuts back to that happy video, making our heart sore for the hopeless lovers. The video has a cinematic zoom-in and out between timelines.

In its short run time, Tu is successful at making you feel things for the poor couple, a feat that many-a-times even 3-hour long Bollywood Romances are unable to achieve. Watch it for its simplicity in storytelling, sincere and honest filmmaking and utterly graceful performances by the lead characters.

Image Credits: Film Companion

Sakshi Arora

A Review: ‘God Promise’ by Pratibimb

By Anushree Joshi February 7, 2019

A commentary on religion and its impact on the present-day society- this play by Pratibimb deserves a watch. Read the review, and catch a screening soon.

Religion is a part of every individual’s identity and, in the Indian context, the framework for the society as well. For centuries, the Indian subcontinent has seen the influx of new religions owing to foreign invasions, trade, and migrations. With the caste system in place, religion has also been used to dictate one’s position in the social atmosphere and to determine one’s social status.

Caste and religion have been used to deny access to spaces (social and religious) to members of communities which are considered ‘lower’, and they thus remain marginalised. India is no stranger to religious violence and stereotypes which have found themselves ingrained in religious identity. Having received praise for their previous production on drug addiction called ‘TripT’, the Dramatics Society of Delhi Technological University (DTU)- Pratibimb- is back again with their annual street production titled ‘God Promise’ which explores the concept of religion in the present-day scenario, its relation to identity, its various interpretations, and religion as a ‘tool’ devised by humans, for humans.

The play explores multiple scenarios revolving around religion and its societal impact. The most memorable scene from the play, in my perspective, was the build-up in the forest. The actors are seen mimicking voices of animals and birds, and if you’d close your eyes, you might as well confuse it for a real forest. The drum-beats start slow, the birds chirp softly, and an animal is seen lurking in between. He is scared with his eyes frantically search for comfort and familiarity. The drum-beats and the animals’ screeches get louder, and his limbs shake; is he in danger? The drum-beats get faster, the animals launch themselves on him; he is a new prey to their system. Storytelling through street theatre involves the usage of the human body as an instrument, and the play delivers that perfectly.
A parallel storyline runs in the play as the audience moves from scene-to-scene with the creation of a zanjeer– a metal chain. Two workers focus on building the zanjeer, and their boss tells them it isn’t heavy enough every single time, until the zanjeer becomes too heavy to lift and needs to be molten down. With brilliant performance by Naman Roy, the zanjeer serves as a metaphor for the concept of religion and the principles of religion. With time, it becomes too heavy for the society and the society crumbles as a result.

The story moves fluidly and the role of sound plays in a significantly remarkable fashion throughout the performance. The play ends with narratives of different religions, exploring death, love, and loss, with unity in times of grief and distress, leaving the audience with food for thought.

Click here to follow Pratibimb’s Facebook page.

Image Credits: Jaishree Kumar for DU Beat

Jaishree Kumar

A Review: 'God Promise’ by Pratibimb

By Anushree Joshi February 7, 2019

A commentary on religion and its impact on the present-day society- this play by Pratibimb deserves a watch. Read the review, and catch a screening soon. Religion is a part of every individual’s identity and, in the Indian context, the framework for the society as well. For centuries, the Indian subcontinent has seen the influx of new religions owing to foreign invasions, trade, and migrations. With the caste system in place, religion has also been used to dictate one’s position in the social atmosphere and to determine one’s social status. Caste and religion have been used to deny access to spaces (social and religious) to members of communities which are considered ‘lower’, and they thus remain marginalised. India is no stranger to religious violence and stereotypes which have found themselves ingrained in religious identity. Having received praise for their previous production on drug addiction called ‘TripT’, the Dramatics Society of Delhi Technological University (DTU)- Pratibimb- is back again with their annual street production titled ‘God Promise’ which explores the concept of religion in the present-day scenario, its relation to identity, its various interpretations, and religion as a ‘tool’ devised by humans, for humans. The play explores multiple scenarios revolving around religion and its societal impact. The most memorable scene from the play, in my perspective, was the build-up in the forest. The actors are seen mimicking voices of animals and birds, and if you’d close your eyes, you might as well confuse it for a real forest. The drum-beats start slow, the birds chirp softly, and an animal is seen lurking in between. He is scared with his eyes frantically search for comfort and familiarity. The drum-beats and the animals’ screeches get louder, and his limbs shake; is he in danger? The drum-beats get faster, the animals launch themselves on him; he is a new prey to their system. Storytelling through street theatre involves the usage of the human body as an instrument, and the play delivers that perfectly. A parallel storyline runs in the play as the audience moves from scene-to-scene with the creation of a zanjeer– a metal chain. Two workers focus on building the zanjeer, and their boss tells them it isn’t heavy enough every single time, until the zanjeer becomes too heavy to lift and needs to be molten down. With brilliant performance by Naman Roy, the zanjeer serves as a metaphor for the concept of religion and the principles of religion. With time, it becomes too heavy for the society and the society crumbles as a result. The story moves fluidly and the role of sound plays in a significantly remarkable fashion throughout the performance. The play ends with narratives of different religions, exploring death, love, and loss, with unity in times of grief and distress, leaving the audience with food for thought. Click here to follow Pratibimb’s Facebook page. Image Credits: Jaishree Kumar for DU Beat Jaishree Kumar [email protected]]]>

DUB Speak

Menstruating Women and Holy Places

By Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak July 1, 2018

Women have been denied access into temples for menstruating for centuries. When their agency is taken away, for performing the most natural of bodily functions, we see the patriarchy seeping into what is seemingly the “holiest” aspect of society.

I was 14 when I started menstruating. One of the first things that my mother did on that fated day was prepare a list of do’s and don’ts, of how to conduct myself around mortals of the opposite gender, how to choose sanitary napkins wisely, how to sleep without staining the bed-linen, and so on. One point in that list that seemed particularly intriguing was my bereavement of access to temples and kitchens during “those days” of the month.

As I grew up, all my refutations of this rule were repudiated with the claim that a woman is ritually ‘unclean’ during her menstrual period and hence cannot go to the temple or worship at that time. While my grandmother tried to validate this argument by maintaining that women in ancient times worked hard and needed to be given a ‘religious reason’ to rest, Aunt Daisy from across the street vehemently believed that the tradition comes from the Manusmriti, a textual tradition of Hinduism

However, many temples go a step further that my mother’s list. Since it is impossible to know whether a woman is menstruating, certain temples have banned all women aged between 10 and 50. Somewhere between engaging in heated arguments with my grandmother and making sarcastic remarks on how we needed a machine which would be able to detect whether women were on their menstrual period, I grew distant from my culture.

But it is not just one religion whose socialization harbors these abhorrent anathemas. A parallel can be drawn between Hinduism and other religions of the world which endorse similar taboos. As a girl, Noorjehan Niaz had visited the well-known Muslim shrine of Haji Ali. Walking down the coastline in south Mumbai, she would push through the throng to reach the inner chamber of the mosque which housed the grave of the 15th century saint. Here, showering rose petals on the green silk cloth draping it, she would seek blessings of the saint by pressing her head against the grave.

By 2011, as an adult, she was shocked to find the entrance shut. Now, the Ulema allowed women into the mosque’s other areas to pray but the shrine’s trustees had decided that only men were allowed inside the inner chamber and the reason for the ban was to prevent menstruating women from going near the grave.

B.R. Ambedkar was once asked why he was so passionate about the issue of temple entry for Dalits. The statesman had replied, “The issue is not entry, but equality.” It was inconsequential for Ambedkar that he, himself, was indifferent towards religion. In fact, temple entry was hardly the solution for Dalit oppression. What he did accept was the fact that denial of equal access to religious and sacred spaces is one of the most powerful tools by which an unequal society expressed and reinforced its hierarchies. He understood that this form of reinforcement had to be eliminated in its totality. More than 80 years later, on 26 August 2016, the Bombay High Court upheld Ambedkar’s views when it held that that denying women entry to the Haji Ali Dargah violated not only their fundamental right to religious freedom but also their right to equality and non-discrimination.

Disoriented with my culture, I had stopped going to temples in 2016. I had decided that if I am not allowed to enter the holy sanctums when blood and tissues lining my womb break down and shed from my body, I wouldn’t want to enter when the lining is getting made either. But earlier this year, an individual I am romantically inclined to led me into a temple despite knowing I was on the 2nd day of my menstrual period. He dismissed my protestation and assured me that “it was a most natural process”.

He made me realise that people have started questioning taboos entrenched in the Indian psyche. Even institutions such as the Supreme Court has time and again asked how a physiological phenomenon like menstruation can be a guiding factor for denying women of a certain age the right to enter and worship in a temple.

But challenges ahead are many. Despite the progressive stances taken by the apex court, in general, the Indian courts still do not have the judicial courage to take a stand in favor of women.

Therefore, the initiative for change has to be taken at the micro level actively. Forgoing social norms that are redundant and reminding your loved ones to do the same is a healthy way to challenge these deep set norms.

Feature Image Credits – Mordi Ibe Foundation

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

DUB Speak

Unchallenged Bigotry in Indian Families

By DU Beat May 11, 2018

Indian millennials and Gen-Z have been trying to uproot the culture of making bigoted comments in everyday conversations a thing of the past. Somehow, it seems difficult to call your elders out for the same, but it is important to do this if one wishes to live in harmony with one another.

The conversations around the dinner table at night are similar in most, Indian middle-class families. It heavily revolves around religion and minorities. It hardly matters if the parents are highly educated or amiable. They absolutely hate certain religious minorities and believe all of them actively engage in terrorist activities and that their religion teaches violence. They believe that Hijabi women are unequivocally oppressed and have no control over the course of their lives. Middle-class Hindus often declare how they can’t trust minorities anymore and engage in overt and covert bigotry by calling them names or refusing to rent out their flats to them.

Have you ever noticed how your mother takes out another steel glass for the housemaid and the man who takes out your garbage when they ask for water? The housemaid always sits on the floor while watching television while the other members of the family sit on the sofa. This is all casteism. Sometimes, your parents ask a person’s surname to know their caste and if that person somehow qualifies an exam or gets selected for a government job, they attribute it to the reservations in place for them. All of this reeks of ignorance and privilege.

Women are often subjected to misogyny by the society for every action of theirs. Older people in the neighbourhood, largely women can’t help but talk about girls who wear skirts or talk to boys in a demeaning manner. The middle-class impression of a gay man or that of transgender people has been taken from ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’. The public laughs at this representation of gay men or trans people, from a show which is infamous for its homophobia.

In 2016, there was a spate of attacks on Africans in Delhi and Noida. They were beaten up with cricket bats, bricks and iron rods for no reason at all. However, the government refused to call it a ‘racist attack’. The discourse going around at the time in every Indian middle-class family was that Africans can’t be trusted because all of them deal with drugs. So, they think it’s a reason good enough to attack them. Same goes for racial attacks on people from North-East. When they go to metropolitan cities like Delhi and Bangalore, they are called by racial slurs like ‘chinki’ and are harassed by their own countrymen. South Indians are collectively called ‘mallu’ and face colourism. Being prejudiced against minorities and marginalized communities has been so ingrained in us, right from the childhood that this sickening mentality has been normalized in our daily conversations.

It’s not easy to change the narrative around these subjects. Our parents grew up with these ideas and even if you call them out for their prejudices, they would ask you to shut up because after all, they have seen the world and know better. All we can do is learn as much as possible about caste, class, race and gender and recognize privilege whenever it benefits us. The next time your parents and relatives or neighbours make any problematic comments, calmly tell them where they’re going wrong. I am hoping this is how we’ll change our society and its thinking, one family at a time.

Feature Image credits– Indian Express

Disha Saxena

DUB Speak

Godmen like Gurmeet Ram Rahim: A disappointing trend in India

By DU Beat September 6, 2017

India witnessed yet another consequence of placing faith in humans, pedestalising flesh and bones to the level of what we usually know of as “godly”. Our society is obsessed with living in a utopian world with immense belief in the idea of Godmen. The past turn of events has proved yet again that it’s not one individual who is to be blamed; instead blame it on our obsessive need to raise men to the stature of the divine. It’s like 33,00,00,000 deities are not enough for us – we might as well add a million more names to that list.

Time and again we are shown that Godmen in our country just use the façade of people’s faith to get away with things that they wouldn’t be able to get away with otherwise. These crimes go unnoticed in our country anyway. The likes of Gurmeet Ram Rahim have yet again declared to the world that it’s not reasonable to worship a man and hold him in unquestionable faith. What’s worse is that, we as a society remain blind to it, and ignorant (the one thing that we know best). What I fail to understand is how people can turn a blind eye to all the whims and fancies these so called

the mob, the bhakts that follow these self-proclaimed Godmen are ready to kill, ready to destroy public property in his name. Recent events should definitely bean eye opener, a scary warning that its high time we stop placing our faith in illiterate, self-proclaimed gurus that are just there to exploit people’s naivety and a compulsive need to depend on humans to fulfill their addiction for faith.

It is time we learn a lesson this time before another greater baba comes and causes more colossal damage than this one. It’s high time we realise that our faith shouldn’t be so cheap that it can be swayed easily and placed in criminals who claim to be the messiah of our realm. Ram Rahim came to tell us that not all caves narrate stories of the First Men, some are meant as the dungeons of those who disguise themselves as protectors only to commit the most heinous crimes. He isn’t to be blamed for those deaths; he isn’t the cause of their bandages. It’s us, who are solely responsible for letting these gurus rise above from dust and acquire immense power. It’s our misplaced faith that has led to a chaotic series of events and a history of blood soaked riotous years. I’m pretty sure, God, will not send a messiah to our rescue that hums to the beats of Love Charger.

We, as a society, should stir up to this wakeup call by Ram Rahim and realise that we will continued to be abused, assaulted, cheated, harassed, and violated, as long these babas exist and we encourage their existence. We need to stop trying to embolden these gurus and equipping them with power that will be purely misused without an alternative.

Feature Image Credits: Zee News

Rashim Bagga

DUB News

Elections: A Secular Exercise?

By DU Beat January 6, 2017

In a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court, the judicial body has passed governance wherein no political party can conjure votes on the foundation of religion, caste and creed.

The verdict by the apex court was announced as a result of deliberations by a seven-member bench and was a follow-up to a petition filed in 1996. Seeking to retain the secular ethos of the Constitution, it takes into account the vague nature of Section 123 (3) of the Representation of the People Act (1951) which states that appeals made by candidates on the grounds of religion, race, caste, community, or language would be banned. The ruling is sought to shed clarity on the wordings, so as the conclusion to be a wholesome ban on the use of religion in campaigning practices. This shall have rippling effects on the forthcoming state elections coined to take place in UP, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Manipur; three out of five states where caste politics is a major factor in soliciting alliances and votes.

In its functional representation, a wall is being endeavored to be built between state and religion. The Constitution ascribes India as a secular country, and this move pushes the foundational strength of that claim. It can be understood that by the rule of extension, elections should also be viewed as a secular practice. Thus, the aim was to embellish the secular character of India; a country which is characterised by its confluence of diverse backgrounds.

This judicial activism aiming to fill the gap between one of the laws can be deemed promising, yet is a long throw from being effectively implemented to becoming successful. Firstly, there is the argument of Free Speech according to which discussions on religion and caste are constitutionally protected and cannot be restricted. Thus, any party genuinely working towards the escalation of minority classes will find itself in a predicament. Secondly, the law has existed before, and only a certain aspect of it has been modified. However, its working remains inadequate since Independence. Thirdly, the implementation is a major hindrance which needs to be entangled. Appealing for votes by pulling the banned strings is not done in the open, and is subtle in approaching voters which may prove to be hard to monitor. Fourthly, this controversial move can prove to be an advantage for BJP as it lobbies for Hindus and Hindutva particularly, which the Supreme Court in 1995 ruled as ‘a way of life’ and not a religion, and thus handing them a rabbit’s escape.

The apex court’s ruling is plausible for national reasons but unfortunately is also rigged with loopholes which might result in it being one of the forgotten laws of the land.

Image Credits: International Business Times

Saumya Kalia