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Homi Dhalla
World Zoroastrian Cultural Foundation, India
India has for long been a symbol of lofty spiritualism, much admired for its tolerance and freedom of worship. But today a growing religious militancy, communal riots, the rise of fundamentalism have spelt disaster for the nation�s unity. Although the concept of secularism has been included in our Constitution, it has come under great strain. With Mumbai looking back on the violent Hindu-Muslim riots of December 1992, which took place first in the aftermath of Babri mosque demolition; and again after a series of explosions at 13 sites in Mumbai which rocked the city on March 12, 1993 and left over 700 injured. In these ten years many peace initiatives have been undertaken to bridge the Hindu-Muslim divide. This paper briefly discusses some of these initiatives. Mohalla Committees: After the Mumbai riots many committees were established in different areas (Mohallas) by the end of 1993, especially in sensitive areas of the city. It is an initiative of prevention and healing, which has now completed ten years of successful work. Communal harmony remains the dominant theme. These committees are made up of Hindus and Muslims, comprising of lay people, professionals, youth and the police. In times of peace they meet every fortnight to discuss the difficulties of education, cleanliness, conduct health camps and go on picnics. This dialogue helps them to build up friendship, and the rapport helps to put off the sparks before they become flames in times of tension. In February 2003, the completion of ten years of Mohalla Committees was marked by cricket matches. Each team was composed of both Hindu and Muslim youth as well as policemen. The various police stations and the city�s Mohalla Committees sent in 81 teams this year. These Mohalla Committees have been greatly responsible for holding the peace in the city even when other parts of the country experienced communal riots. The Media: The media sometimes focuses on the negative thus creating disturbances. It should play a stabilizing role in national politics thus promoting national integration and avoiding the extreme position. The Brahma Kumaris organized a �Media Conference and Exhibition 2002� at their Shantivan complex in Abu Road, Rajasthan where the theme was �Values in Media for promoting goodwill and harmony in Society.� Media persons were reminded about their serious responsibility and urged them to become peace messengers and they should replace sensationalism with sensible stories of peace. Due to the initiative of the Times Foundation, a Media Moves was set up in order to get the media to highlight the activities of NGO�s, especially in the field of women�s welfare, rural development, health and education. Involvement of Youth: In August 2002, an inter-departmental workshop on communalism was held at St. Xavier�s College, Mumbai. This led to ten inter-disciplinary lectures by the history, psychology and sociology departments of the college. The collegians were urged to challenge their own beliefs and social norms besides questioning the hollowness of stereotypes. Finally, brief skits were staged through which students conveyed their hopes and anguish. Even more encouraging were the long-term proposals which emerged---some wanted to correspond with Pakistani pen pals, other to set up a forum for discussion, while some wanted to reach out to school children. In June 2003, in a bold move, some Muslim youth of Mumbai have floated an organization to openly oppose moves by vested interests, which mislead the community�s youth in the name of Islam. The organization called the Muslim Youth of India (MY India) feels that the word �jehad� is being misinterpreted by certain forces to recruit many young Muslim men for nefarious purposes. A public meeting �Muslims against Terrorism� was organized to debate the misuse of religion as a tool to meet social and political ends. A programme has already been chalked out by members of MY India to dissuade Muslim youth from getting involved in terrorist activities. After September 11, many Muslim children found that others were taunting them about this sad event that �Muslims could not live peacefully with others.� Hence, 15 summer camps were held in different parts of Mumbai during May-June 2002, by the Iqra Foundation. Young children were taught with modern methodologies about the importance of living peacefully in a pluralistic society and being a good Indian citizen. They were taught that Jehad is really about �Struggle and sacrifice---fighting against deforestation, illiteracy and working for the uplift of the country.� Many of these children obtained a wider and a more balanced view of Islam than they previously had which would make them more responsible citizens. Often, it is by looking at things from a child�s perspective that we learn the true Art of Living. Perhaps that�s the reason Art Excel for children was developed by His Holiness, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder of the Art of Living Foundation. Children are trained in physical, mental and spiritual aspects. It is a course where children learn to develop their full potential through creative games, breathing techniques and Yoga. A rock concert was held for the youth where songs about the oneness of all religions and communal harmony were sung. Various organizations came forward to help the children who were the victims of the Gujarat riots. Some of them had lost their parents but all had lost their homes. Action Aid and the Mumbai-based Secular Activists Watch placed some of these children in boarding schools in Raighad district during the latter part of 2002. Artists for Peace: Artists against Communalism: A unique event took place in Bombay in March 1992. Disturbed by the forces of communalism, prominent artists came together to form the group, �Artists against Communalism.� Four hundred poets, writers, artists, photographers, musicians, film and theatre personalities responded to SAHMAT�S (Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust) call and contributed messages both written and visual, decrying communalism and violence. It was part of a festival in memory of the artist Safdar Hashmi, who was slain on April 12, 1989. This multi-media exhibition was first staged in New Delhi. Since then it toured 30 towns before coming to Bombay. It traveled through some extremely sensitive and communally charged areas of India. Working for Peace through Poetry: �World Brotherhood and Peace through Poetry.� This is the motto of the World Congress of Poets (WCP), which had its first Indian President. From January 1, 2003, Mr. S. Mohan, Former Judge of Supreme Court of India took charge as President of WCP, an organization under the auspices of the World Academy of Arts and Culture, approved by the UNESCO. Expression of universal brotherhood has been expressed in poetry e.g., in Tamil poetry through the lines Yadum Ure Yavarum Kelir (Every country is mine and every man is my kinsman). There are Japanese poets who are afraid of another nuclear holocaust. On February 12, 2002, Livermore, California hosted an anti-war poetry night for poets from the San Francisco Bay area. A number of poets participated protesting against the US threat to invade Iraq. Similarly in February 2003, a year after the carnage that took place in Godhra and Gujarat to mark the anniversary of this tragic incident, many peace initiatives were undertaken. Among these were poetry readings, plays and workshops. Again music has united Hindus and Muslims over the centuries. Indian classical music must be valued in itself, but in the present climate it must also be cherished for its effortless contribution to religious harmony. In the same vein, it is pertinent to note that a young Zoroastrian violinist, Zubin Behramkamdin has been the only Indian to be selected to play in the World Peace Orchestra. Human Rights Violations and Judicial Activism: Although human rights violations continue to this day in India, it is encouraging to know that the National Human Rights Commission has become more vigilant and vocal. A case in point is what took place about 15 months ago in Gujarat. Over 2000 innocent Muslims were killed and hundreds of children orphaned. Houses and property worth millions was destroyed. Ridiculous compensation and virtual non-prosecution added insult to injury. A glaring example of this is the Best Bakery case where 21 persons who were accused of burning 14 persons on March 1, 2002 at a Bakery were all acquitted by Vadodara Court in Gujarat State. The National Human Rights Commission at once moved the Supreme Court of India, as this was prima facie a �miscarriage of justice.� It sought non-bailable warrants against all the 21 accused who were acquitted, and a retrial of the cases outside the state. As a result, the Supreme Court has thus issued notice to the Gujarat Government to furnish details about this case. This is a clear example of how the guilty are not punished. Similarly, after the Bombay riots, which took place in 1992-1993, the Government had appointed the Justice Srikrishna Commission, which had submitted a Report about these riots. Unfortunately, to this day, its recommendations have not been implemented. How can the communal divide be bridged and wounds be healed without justice? Mob violence cannot and should not go unpunished. Even in this case, a number of organizations have been pressurizing the Government to book the guilty. Sparkles of Hope: It was on November 5, 1917 that Mahatma Gandhi organized an interreligious prayer meeting at Godhra. It was in this very town that in 2002 a number of persons were deliberately burnt in the Sabarmati Express train and there were communal flare-ups. On October 2, 2002, Hindus and Muslims got together for a prayer meeting, to speak about religious tolerance and ways and means to bridge the divide. The meeting ended with a blood donation drive. The slogan of the drive read, �The colour of blood is red, neither green nor saffron.� From the riot-hit areas have also emerged stories of spontaneous gestures, which averted life-threatening situations. There were many instances of brave Hindu men and women who at the risk of their own lives had saved many Muslims. Again there are scores of NGO�s who are putting in a slow but determined effort to rebuild communal harmony. Happily the attitude of some Muslim leaders has also been gradually changing. Adding a broader dimension to the debate on cow slaughter, a prominent Muslim leader has said that legislation being considered by the Government should not only be limited to a ban on cow slaughter but should also protect them from hunger. In March 2003, when the Indian Cricket team was playing against Pakistan in the World Cup match in South Africa, members of the Muslim Council of India holding pictures of the Indian Cricket team at the Azad Maidan playground in Mumbai offered prayers for India�s victory. Again in April 2003, Corporators of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation created history by electing Aneesa Mirza of the Congress party as the Mayor. She thus became the first Muslim woman to hold this position. The role of the various interfaith organizations cannot be overlooked. They continue to play a constructive role by holding peace marches, interfaith dialogue and prayer meetings, essay and elocution competitions for school children on topics such as peace, human rights, ecology, etc. Conclusion: Thus the two communities have to strive to evolve a culture of dialogue with emphasis on ethical values. This shall help to bond the Hindus and Muslims towards a national identity. Moreover, if this communal polarization has to be overcome, tolerance is of paramount importance. It would be pertinent to quote from a Supreme Court Judgment in the Jehovah�s Witnesses Case: �Our tradition teaches tolerance; our philosophy preaches tolerance; our Constitution practices tolerance; let us not dilute it.�
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