Friday, March 11, 2011

Is Religion a Threat to Love?

Love and religion have always been considered as the serene routes to enlighten the human souls. Religions all over the world always advocated the idea to love one another irrespective of the ideological disparities. However it is interesting to note the other side of the story. When the love to one another becomes the love between a boy and girl of different religions, these advocacies are turned upside down. This scenario is most visible in India that prides itself to be the most secular country in the world.

I remember one of my classmates at this moment. The girl hailed from an affluent Hindu family and came abroad to augment her prospects in creative writing. Very soon she moved out from our apartment with her wealthy Muslim boyfriend. They had a wonderful relationship together for those three years of abroad residence. Then it was time for them to return India. Soon I got an invitation for her marriage with a wealthy Hindu boy. I was so shocked and couldn't resist from questioning her about the whereabouts of her Muslim friend. Her reply was something that I least expected " I still love him (Muslim Boyfriend) and he loves me. Our love is true that nobody can tear apart. However I don't want to get murdered by his folk and he to be another Nitish Katara*." She got married to her parents' religious wishes and happily separated from her husband within months of their marriage.

Now, who is to be blamed at this situation? I realize that real life in India doesn't offer a life as in Bollywood movies where the love marriage takes place, and the narrow-minded opponents of the marriage benefit from a lesson on the equalizing powers of love. On the other hand and quite shockingly the punishment for lovers from different religions in India is much beyond our imagination. In many parts of India different cast lovers are subjected to public lynching, stripping, blackening of the face, shaving of the head, incarceration, huge fines, social boycott or being driven out of the village. At many other instances they may be murdered through camouflaged suicides. At the least level majority of the couples and their family will be the victims of public mockery and may be detained from entering religious sanctums.

I am not promoting interfaith marriages or interreligious marriages at this moment. I never have anything against the arranged marriages with parent's consent. However a new outlook towards love must develop at the very heart of the society. Being a citizen of a country that has world's greatest monument for love, each of us has the right to abolish these erroneous notions against love. Love is a divine feeling that must not be tampered due to the fanatic religious attitudes. Couples who are in love must be bold enough to stand for their love and able to convince their families. Initial hurdles will be there in any relationship. However those hurdles can be for any other reason apart from the false accusation of religon. Love and religion are two sides of the same coin and those feelings must be in harmony to promote the universal tranquility.



*Nitish Katara: Nitish Katara was an executive in Delhi and had fallen in love with his classmate; Bharati Yadav.Bharti Yadav is the daughter of DP Yadav, well-known criminal leader in Western Uttar Pradesh. It is widely believed that he was murdered by Bharati's brother Vikas Yadav.

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Relationships and Sex

Relationships and Sex

 
Powered by Blogger