I am sure as a South Indian, people from the western countries, who know something about India and its cultures would have been perplexed to go through the latest news that the Indian Judiciary has handed a land-mark judgment, which the whole country was looking forward with abated breath. Yes - the Rama Janma Bhoomi dispute has come to an end at long last - 60 years after it started, to attract attention of the Indian people as a whole.
Before going into the dispute, some brief explanation of the glossary of words involved in the news for the sake of my foreign friends. India with its millions of population consists of people of different religious faith - prominently Hindus; Muslims; and Christians. Although more than 25 different major languages are spoken by the people, the religious faith is one, which unites people of that sect into one, while identifying oneself as first Indian - and then a Hindu; a Musalman or Christian.
It is a different matter your head will be reeling, if you go into the sub-sects within Hindus - from Saivists and Vaishnavists; Sunny Muslims and Sufi Muslims; Catholic Christian to Protestant Christian. But without having any language barrier, an Indian can easily identify himself as one following any of these three major religions, whichever the part of this vast country he is hailing from.
The Rama Janma Bhoomi is a small place in North India inside the city called Ayodhya, located in Uttar Pradesh. It is believed by Hindus that the great epic hero - Rama of Ramayana - was born in this place, based on the narrations of Hindu religious books. The state which was ruled by Dhasaratha, father of Rama in those days was known as Ayodhy. Over centuries of years, Hindus are worshipping Rama, as the incarnation of the Lord Vishnu, and their faith is unassailable in him, as a model of how a man should live on this earth. The devotion people have all over India on Rama should be seen to be believed.
Exactly in the same place, where Hindus believe that Rama was born - Rama Janma Bhoomi means the birth place of Rama - there was a Mosque worshipped by Muslims. This Mosque was stated to be built by the Moghal Emperor Baber, on demolishing the Hindu temple there and Muslims were worshipping in that Mosque for over 100 years.
Without going into the mind-boggling legal claims of which came first - the Hindu temple or Muslim Mosque - suffice it to say this dispute sparked religious rivalry among Hindus and Muslims all over India.
Politicians and media did their part in ample measure, in adding fuel to the already burning fire, over these years. The matter went to Court some 60 years back and yet a final decision dragged on and on, for variety of reasons such as collecting evidences from both sides including Archeological excavation of the disputed place.
Political parties made good use of this dispute in their election propaganda, during the last several years. At last the High Court of Allahabad announced that the verdict on this sensitive case will be delivered on 24th September 2010. Again the drama went on for a climax - by submitting a special leave petition in the Supreme Court of India - not to deliver the judgment.
The whole country was rife with tension and fear as whatever the judgment is, the affected party will raise its voice again and fire of violence and law and order going out of control. The Central and State Governments were preparing security measures, involving millions of forces - military; police and paramilitary forces and deployed them at strategic sensitive points.
The Apex Court cleared the special leave petition and allowed the High Court of Allahabad to deliver the judgment on 30th September. The nation as a whole was anxiously expecting with suspense, what the verdict is going to be.
The High Court of Allahabad was prompt in delivering a superlative judgment, whereby it wanted the disputed land to be divided into 3 parts and given to all the parties to the dispute equally. It also ordered that status quo to continue for the next 3 months.
The much awaited fireballs did not come; no religious fights; no troubles; firing; lathi-charge and all the related dramatics of a communal clash. The whole Indian people kept their calm, proving to the outside world that India is one blessed with unity in diversity - once again.
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