Satyen Pitroda, known as Sam to his friends, had during the Prime Ministership of Rajiv Gandhi made several contributions to the telecom sector in India. Sam is immensely talented, but politics is not his forte, else he would not have made the comments he recently did on the Shri Ram Mandir. True, there was a time when what is described as “Hindu” concerns were swept under the carpet, in contrast to those related to other faiths.
There are some who have been in contact with former AICC president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul, who claim that both are Catholics. If so, there is nothing wrong in that, for Catholicism is an ancient strand of the Christian faith that has historical traditions that even to non-Catholics are impressive. The people of India are not small-minded, and a politician being Catholic rather than Hindu would make no difference to the overwhelming majority of voters. As for Lord Ram, as Prime Minister Modi says, the world can claim Lord Ram as its heritage, which is why he has ensured that people from various faiths will be attending the opening of the Sri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
Sam is reported to be unhappy at the attention being given to attention given to the opening of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and even to the lighting of lamps. The fact is that the rebuilding of temples in Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura in their original sites is not a repudiation of secularism, but an affirmation of it. Where Shri Ram Janmabhumi, Shri Krishna Janmabhumi and the Kashi Viswanath temple are concerned, locations cannot be changed. And just as Muslims have the right to the holy site of Mecca, and to Medina, or the right of access to Al Aqsa mosque, Hindus have the right to their three holy sites that were destroyed by Aurangzeb. The fact that the Muslim community in India is overwhelmingly moderate is proven by the fact that the community has peacefully accepted the return to the pre-Aurangzeb status quo in Ayodhya. Whether Muslim, Christian or Hindu, Bharatiyas respect the faiths of each other.
Several more sites exist other than the three that were destroyed by Aurangzeb, but only these three are non-substitutable. Mathura and Ayodhya are treasured on the basis of their being the birthplace of Lord Krishna and Lord Ram respectively, while Kashi contains the site of the original Kashi Vishwanath temple, which too was destroyed by Aurangzeb. There is not just a theological but a historical logic in bringing these three sites back to the glory they experienced even under Mughal rulers such as Jehangir and Shah Jahan. Every citizen is the heir to the entire history of Bharat, and consequently has the right to feel a sense of pride in the resonance of tradition and history in the rebuilding of the Shri Ram Mandir. It is also their right to show that joy in public rather than confine such feelings to the secrecy of one’s home.
In 1981, when Rajiv Gandhi was general secretary of the All India Congress Committee, this writer accompanied him on the flight from Delhi to Kochi via Mumbai. From Kochi we went to the Guruvayur temple, staying overnight at the Ramanilayam Guest House on the way. Rajiv had forgotten to bring along a Kerala-style mundu and veshti, and it was this writer who gave him a mundu and veshti to wear when he entered the Sri Krishna temple. There was plenty of media around when Rajiv went to the temple. Was there anything wrong in him getting with such publicity ? Not in the least.
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited temples frequently, as was her right as a believer in the Hindu faith. There was nothing wrong in Prime Minister Indira Gandhi going to temples to worship and there is nothing wrong in Prime Minister Narendra Modi planning to worship at the Sri Ram Janmabhumi Mandir in Ayodhya on 22 January. Just as there is nothing wrong in Rishi Sunak taking the oath of office as Prime Minister of the UK with his hand on the Gita, or in President Biden doing so with his hand on the Bible.
For too long, it was considered to be “secular” for leaders from the Hindu faith to avoid going publicly to religious places or to talk about their faith in the same manner that politicians of multiple faiths have done in India or in the US. Having belief in a religion is not something to be hidden from public view, or to be covered up, whether that religion be Islam, Christianity or Hinduism. When was the last time a US President was condemned for visiting a church, or for taking the oath of office with his hand on the Bible? Not a single instance comes to mind. Sam Pitroda has done much for India. He is a wizard who has amazing insight into technology. He needs to help modernise India through such insight, just as he did in the 1980s with the help of Rajiv Gandhi, rather than trying to score political points.
MDN