The world today is really fast. The world today is really monetary, really fiscal. A mere road side barber talks of money with as much passion as that of a Wall Street Scout. What differentiates these two guys is the scale at which they operate, the volumes at which they operate and the way they operate. In fact, if I dare say; the barber in comparison to Wall Street Scout would not even exist. But the passion, his sheer passion drags him to competition. But this is everywhere; in nook n corner of every neighborhood every city, every town and every country. We walk down the streets and see advertisements, hoardings of various businesses, which sounds perfect to me and should to many alike me. What comes like a needle in the eye is Commercialising Religion. I see Business houses advertising themselves at religious places, exhibiting there charity contributions, putting up sale hoardings just at the doorstep of a Shrine, a Mosque, a Temple, a Church, a Gurudwara or any such religious place that binds people. I've often been to these sacred festivals of different communities being held in temples where the people are called upon and greeted and welcomed as the owner of such and such business house.
People have started commercialising Religion.
People have started using these holy places to marginally increase their client base. People or should I say Businesses have started luring clients in the name of God. This is one way Religion is coming as a powerful weapon to big business houses. But as far as it has no violence attached to it, I don’t see any harm in it. Any religion today, in order to prosper, in order to grow, in order to penetrate needs one powerful tool and that tool is MONEY. Various religious festivals and gatherings are organised and celebrated at unimaginable scales. It is fun to go into a Ram leela or a Dussehra or Diwali MELA or a Janamashtami MELA. It is great to see Gurupurab or Christmas or Eid being celebrated on such large scales because somewhere, it plays a huge role in keeping the respective cultures alive. It is a visual medium and has a far more strong impact than the holy books.
But how are these larger than life events organised? Where does all the money come from?
The money comes from Businesses, Sponsorships and I thank them for it. Money is the most important factor that helps execute a great cultural evening. People might disagree with my thought but I would like to quote a sloka in Sanskrit here:
वित्तेन रक्शयते धर्मो , विद्या योगेण रक्शयते
म्रिदुयाना रक्शयते भूपः ,सिस्त्रिया रक्शयते गृहम
And it says,
Dharma is protected by Money, Education by Practice
King is protected by his Politeness and a home by good Women
For any religion to survive, Money is a very important input. And as long as the culture, the religion stays alive in the minds and hearts of generations to come, I don’t see a problem in commercialising it.
RELIGION is a very sensitive and a very dangerous word. Religion has an unmatched amount of power which drives people to live the kind of lives they live, the kind of work they do, the kind of people they become. It’s a common saying that:
Never a man commits himself to something in Life, as passionately as in the name of RELIGION
I happen to see the hate speech, delivered by Akbaruddin Owaisi in Hyderabad in Broad day light.This man openly and shamelessly is attempting to entice the entire Indian Muslim community in the name of Islam. Addressing other communities as Hindustan and Indian Muslims as a different entity altogether is a heinous act of Segregation. Moreover placing your religion over other religions with an example of there respective cremation practices is as disgusting as it can get. Insulting the Lords and goddesses of a particular religion reflects the demented mind he carries within his soil. Further creating rage amongst Indian Muslims by provoking them on the basis of there minority in India and further instilling the hatred, the shallow anger in the hearts of Indian Muslims and telling them to commit acts of violence if they wish to, for Akbaruddin Owaisi backs them. And as he delivers his speech and quotes certain verses from the holy Quran, the outrage can be seen in the minds of the people present there.
Religion came into origin through mankind in order to create a feeling of oneness, brotherhood, optimism. It's purpose was to guide people to lead a good life, lead there lives by certain principles. No religion tells you to hurt people, commit violence, and follow false practices. Religion was synonymous to Spiritual ism. Should I say, Religion was Spiritual ism. But being Religious and Being Spiritual, today have two different meanings. Religion today segregates you from the humankind, classifying you under one head, to follow the norms.
The Irony is, We get so busy performing and living by the norms that we almost forget to praise the Almighty.
Religion as I said, is more of a weapon or a tool to turn the tide in your favor or against an opponent. Religion is that sweet knife which kills "Secular ism", of which India boasts of. Spiritual ism is all about being thankful to God-the almighty, the Creation, the Existence itself. It's about experiencing the solitude, the different currents mother nature has to offer.
So the next time you claim you're religious, think about it. You might be compelled to use the word Spiritual to put yourself in good light because Religion has been maligned to the core by some Parasites breathing amongst us.
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