Monday Musing
[ Ranjit Sinha ]
Religious intolerance
Even as Karnakata’s hijab row is yet to die down, another disturbing report emanated from Uttar Pradesh. This time, a school in UP reportedly asked its Sikh students not to wear a turban or carry a kirpan. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee – the apex religious body of the Sikhs – took strong note of the incident. However, according to media reports, the issue, which had cropped up due to some misunderstandings, has been resolved and the school management has apologised for it.
In recent years, religious intolerance or discrimination in the name of religions has been taking its toll on the secular character of the country. India was recently eulogised as the spiritual capital of the world. I believe that spirituality has nothing to do with the belief system of a particular race. It shows the way of peaceful life. It deals with the purpose of being human.
I often wonder what the correlation between a belief system and the country’s development is.
Presidential election
President-elect 64-year-old Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to take the oath of office as the 15th president of India on 25 July. This time, the presidential election was a must-watch political affair as President-elect Murmu has become the first tribal person to occupy the highest office of the country and the first president born after the country’s freedom. She fought against former BJP veteran Yashwant Sinha, the opposition candidate.
Only time will tell whether the former Jharkhand governor and self-made woman from Odisha, Murmu, will become a puppet at the hands of the NDA government or not; but one thing is clear: the BJP has made its way for easy victory in the upcoming assembly elections in many states where the indigenous community plays a major role in electoral politics.
Political analysts believe that the election of Murmu to the highest constitutional office will also help the saffron party sweep the votes of the scheduled tribes spread over all the states, during the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
As I write this piece, I wonder what would have been the fate of the BJP-led NDA government if former BJP veteran Yashwant Sinha had become the president of India. Surely, the BJP would have had to face a self-made disaster-like situation, waiting for next presidential election.
Hollongi greenfield airport
Since day 1, when the first aircraft of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) test landed at the Hollongi greenfield airport near the state capital, I have been visualising a new clean and evergreen Itanagar. I am visualising more parks where parents can pass their leisure time with children for hours without any disturbance, even at nighttime. The people of the Itanagar Capital Region and the agencies concerned of the government should keep in mind that the air passengers visiting the state capital and the state as a whole should not carry a bad message back to their state or country about Itanagar. Everyone should contribute towards making Itanagar the number one cleanest city of the country.
