On the eve of the 68th Independence Day celebration of India, I would like to focus on one of the most sensitive and burning issues India is facing today, which is a threat to our internal stability - the communal disharmony. Whichever channel we switch on TV or the page in the newspaper it won’t be complete without mentioning clashes and deaths related to communal riots. It may be more frequent in India, but in some other countries and continents also there are clashes and killing of people in the name of religion (more so in Asian and African countries). When every religion says to love each other and live in peace, why these things happen is a big question mark. In spite of many efforts from many corners, this one particular issue is capable of igniting fire within a short time and ending up in mass murders.

When every single religion says God is one, why do we end up in this type of situation needs to be looked into, more precisely in the present scenario where even educated people are also falling prey to this. If we think, the primary reason is, we have created boundaries around God by giving various names to him, may be in the name of cults, religions and traditions which we are hesitant to give up. And doing so, we have recognized separate God(s) and holy places. We failed to question these age-old thoughts and traditions which were practiced when there was lack of literacy or education. As far as religious practice is concerned we are still in the Stone Age.

The time has come to carry out a peaceful view of religious practice, putting education into practice with maturity. We have rewritten our mental abilities through education. Let us use the same education to change our hearts also. How can we hate or kill one another in the name of religions which are supposed to lead us towards the Almighty and His heavenly paradise? It is not only that we gave God so many names, every single minute we try to stamp superiority of a particular name which we personally practice and when that attempt fails, we end up looting one another. By doing this don’t be under the impression that we are worshipping God, but insulting and defaming Him.  

Surprisingly, when everyone is taught and knows that God (Almighty) is one and is a supernatural power which is beyond our imagination, why do we end up creating these boundaries? On what basis do we think that this can be done in the first place? Why do we believe that a peaceful religious practice is going to fall just because some people throw stones for their personal gains? When they create problems neither are they practicing or protecting their religion, nor do we by replying to them violently. Is our religious belief so fragile that we shake the very foundation itself through our violent behavior?

If pelted stones and persons were successful in bringing down the religion we practice (whichever it may be), many religions would have collapsed by this time. But it is not the case and every religion is growing stronger and stronger. It is because these paths (my belief is that religion itself is not God but a way to reach him) are protected by God; because his messengers created those and they cannot be destroyed by some individuals. All the holy religions were born because God sent his peace messengers to various cultures and places depending on the need of that time. This may be compared with climbing the Himalayas (mountains). Our aim is to reach the mountain top, the summit, which is God. Sherpas leading the way to the summit are various peace messangers.The various safe routes they follow to lead us safely toward the peak, is like our religion. So kindly don’t look beyond this point. Remember the important fact - these religions were there without you and me; without our parents and grandparents. They are many centuries old. So they continue to exist after us and our future generations. Don’t ever think that we can protect it, that too by pelting some stones. Instead religion will protect us when we practice it the way the God’s messengers preached us. These religions are too strong to be protected by ordinary humans like us. So all these boundaries we have created in the name of religion can’t be practical ones, simply because God is too enormous to be tied down in different names and holy places, in the name of a particular religion or cult.                                                                                 

All of us have the same body anatomy across the globe, in fact all the creatures. We may be white, brown or black, it is the same.  The human body and organs are same whichever cult or religion we practice and whichever corner of the world we reside in, under whatever weather conditions. A hand is called a hand and a leg is a leg across globe and not vice versa. Then why there are so many names for Holy Spirit or soul or God's part in us? Why so many names given to Almighty when he is one? Why it can’t be unique? Just God or Almighty for everyone? A single religion itself is torn into many more pieces, interpreted and practiced in different ways, in different regions. Who made these further divisions? What was the base? Is this not astonishing? Is this not against the very foundation of the religion? Not a single religion is different on this aspect. How do we explain this? Many a times when some people tried to discuss religion with me, I asked this question and they failed to give a satisfactory answer because there is no internal unity in any religion and we continue to say God is one. The time has come to practice what we say and believe.

The best way to practice religion is to withdraw from any discussion where the argument crosses the line, beyond just one name , that is  'God'. When someone tries to bring up the superiority of his / her cult or religion's name to God, that is the time to resign from the situation. We always say that we should have the fear of God. If we had the fear of God we would not have ended up in situation like this. The word 'Fear of God' carries negativity in it. The word fear should be replaced by Love. Then the situation may change. We should love God, the way he loves and protects us. 

Does God exist? Yes, God does exist. Kindly read these few lines to understand his enormous greatness. The greatest scientists who went after the creation of the universe also do agree with this. I would like to quote what Albert Einstein said when questioned about the existence of the God: "This universe is not governed by chance and God doesn't play dice". Everything in this universe is so systematically connected and governed that it cannot be by chance but can be done by God only. This work of creation by God is still not over and it is going on with the same pace as it was in the beginning of this universe by adding many more planets, stars, galaxies into the universe even now! Where it is expanding into? When will it stop? Will it ever stop? Does this universe have a boundary in the first place? If yes, how big is it? No one knows other than God. We boast a lot about our scientific achievement. What we have achieved so far is actually negligible considering the fact that this universe holds a lot of unimaginary mysteries in it. Remember, we are boasting in comparison with the Stone Age. We have just broken the speed of sound and gravitational barrier. To understand a little about the universe (in fact very little!), the minimum requirement is to achieve the speed of light (3, 00,000 km per second), at least half of it in the beginning, which is a distant dream and possibility as of now. When any doubt comes about God's existence, look at the nature and its laws, a perfect mathematical equation, there in no chaos at all, it's so perfect and never changing. If there is no ruler (God) there would have been utter confusion and chaos. It is not the case.

Such a huge enormous unimaginary power we are trying to tie up in the name of cult and religion and fighting with each other. God must be laughing at our intelligence! This is not correct. Instead, in whatever way possible we should spread the message of peace love and care for one another. This is where God lives. By respecting every creature of God (not only human being) and taking care, we love and respect God. This is the only way to be blessed by God. The word “fear” we are using now should be replaced by word “love”. (One way it is correct, since we are indulging in a wrong practice by killing one another in the name of God, it is natural to be afraid of him). 

This article is not against practicing religion. It is about  practicing  it peacefully keeping in mind the basic foundation of every religion 'God is one' and against spreading hatred and confusion in the name of religion. God  lives where there is peace love and care for one another and every creature of His. Restrain and resign from any situation that leads to friction, conflict and confusion because God is much above these silly matters and symbolic holy places.

Many a time people who know  me, the way I practice my faith ask me "why are you like this?" (I visit every holy place depending on that particular day's instinct). In return I ask them only two questions: first "Is it true that God is one?" And the second, "Is he everywhere?" All of them always answered me yes, irrespective of their religion. Then anyone tries to go beyond this line and offer additional explanation; that is the time I remind them the answer they gave me just a moment back and request them to stop explaining further or else to prove just the opposite to those two questions. I withdraw from listening to any explanation beyond this universal truth. When we accept these two facts, what remains to be explained further? I am yet to meet a person from any religion or cult saying that there are many Gods and God is not everywhere. I will pick up a religion when someone proves me that there are two or more Gods! Now I don’t have a choice since God is one. Until then I practice God, not religion. For me, wherever I stand and in whatever I do, I see God as I see him, inside the holy places also. And when I want to talk to God, I go to a new born angel (child) or to nature, on a full moon night. In a simple way, my religion is what my mother taught me on her tender lap, to be a good person; I don’t look beyond that.

Friends, it was not our choice that we are born in a particular religion. Kindly be there where you are born and practice the religion of “God is one”. All the holy religions were born to lead us toward God and his heavenly paradise. It is like we can reach our home by many ways, but we select the best way always, not the path that is filled with stones, thorns and rough unlaid roads. Similarly we need to reach the Almighty through the path of peace not by hatred or bloodshed. This may be done by only one way, by respecting every other human being with love, cutting across silly religious boundaries. In a simple way treating every creation of God with Peace, Care and Love.

All of us know that the immediate threat to our country’s internal stability is naxalites movement and communal disharmony. When we are celebrating 68th Independence Day of this great peace-loving country, which has given the world so many messengers of peace, let us decide and take oath that we will not fight in the name of religion, and stay united against the evil forces that try to create unrest in the name of religion. 

Dear readers, when you pass comments on this article kindly see that they are constructive, focusing on how to contain this poison, without hurting anyone’s religious belief.

Let me end this article with Rabindranath Tagore’s famous poem; where The Mind Is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

May God enlighten all of us to live in peace.

Happy Independence Day to everyone.