The 2011 Census lays down Hindu - Muslim ratio as approximately 6:1 in India. So, does it give us the licence to manipulate ''Hinduism'' to feed our religious egos and make them seem larger than life? In the backdrop of an eclectic mix of cultural practices and traditional beliefs with no single founder, Hinduism better deserves to be imbibed as an 'eternal way of life' than practised as some sort of a religion as and when required.
What makes me yield my pen today is the fact that having been a proud DAVian and the daughter of a strict disciplinarian, refuting idol worship has been 'my way of life'. The scenario outside is different and utterly chaotic. No prizes for guessing, I still consider idol worship a total wastage of time and money. Not just because as far as celebrations are concerned, life has got better moments to offer... but because despite your foolish attempts, your Krishna, Ganesh or Durga can never be made to stay inside the confines of an idol of clay and watch all the askew script being played out in front - out of mere ignorance.
I still fail to understand the objective behind all this nonsense. Save your parents' money and help them with their retirement plans. You want to do good? Wait for your first salary and fund a child's education. But please, for your beloved Krishna's sake, do not applaud and whistle at Paresh Rawal when he's delivering the goods during 'Oh My God' and then indulge in a similar dirty affair afterwards! Do not claim yourself to be a Hindu if you haven't got some sense to distinguish between rightdoings and wrongdoings. You let M. F. Hussain surrender his Indian nationality because your Sarasawati draped in white is bigger than 'Art' - what Sarasawati actually epitomises. And what about those potters who make your idols and leave them to dry - all nude - under the sun along the roadside?
If you do believe in the existence of some Almighty... someone who transcends the walls of a temple and the fence of a puja pandal, I'm sure that spirit is chanting : ''Seek for truth, you'll find me. Peek for lies, you'll blind me.''
