By Naba Bhattacharjee
The concern and question today in the country is centred on the identity of force or forces, responsible for the emerging trend of religious unrest, whether simmering or underlying in nature, spreading to a pattern. The apprehension in the minds of people is whether creating an ambience of disharmony has its epi-centre within or outside the country. There is a lack of clarity and answers to such and many more similar questions. It is time to be on guard and counter such disruptive forces in unison, particularly in the states of north east.
As far as Meghalaya is concerned, it has a vibrant tradition of innate bond and harmony among different religions and faiths, which dates back much before attaining statehood. The unique feature has withstood the test of time and continues even today, without any erosion in the core values which cemented this understanding. Since childhood, we have witnessed the ambience of inclusiveness, borne out of genuine reverence for each other’s religion and faith. It is imperative to sustain this distinctive character with sincere effort and contribution by each and every Meghalayan.
Over the decades, we have seen the consolidation of this distinctive culture and tradition. The observance of Christmas in Ramkrishna Mission has been a memorable event since my childhood. Similarly, harmony visit of Puja pandals by leaders and faithful of different religious groups is a credible gesture. Equally inspiring is the attendance by individuals of diverse faiths during Guru Nanak Jayanti, Ramzan and Id celebrations, Buddha Jayanti observance, Unitarian Day commemoration, festivity of Shad Suk Mynsiem or Behdienkhlam of Seng Khasi Kmie and Seinraj respectively. These are few examples of our legacy, which has been assiduously cultivated for decades. The CPC, Meghalaya’s all religion-all faiths get together of harmony, where leaders from different religions and faiths congregate, to usher in the festival season, to pre-Christmas harmony meet in the different Churches including carol service and singing in chorus; all combine as an orchestra to bear ample testimony to our commitment of oneness and sorority.
The Meghalayan legacy of religious harmony and coming together spontaneously for a cause was reflected in few of us belonging to different faiths deciding to work together during COVID 19 pandemic with formation of Shillong All Faiths Forum (SAFF). The existence of various avenues of communication maintained among the different religious orders during normal times, facilitated and enabled us to come together and work as a team during one of the severe crisis faced by humanity, wherein our state was equally affected. All such and similar ideas and initiatives could be translated into reality due to cooperation of the majority religious and faith based institutions in the State.
It is thus unfortunate that many others in the country could not emulate our example to strengthen religious concord in their respective States. It was only in early August, after almost three months of unrest, that a similar congregation of diverse religion and faith was organized at the initiative of Raj Bhawan there. Cultivating such interactions on a regular basis becomes a repository of humanitarian good will and security for the future. Moreover, majority of the national media has been deficient and economical in reporting the positive initiatives in a proper perspective, while highlighting mostly the negatives and showing the State, at times, in poor light without any knowledge of ground realities. Most mainland media still harbor the notion that Meghalaya with other NE States are primarily a conflict zone, without making an effort to study and understand the all round pluralistic structure and dynamics of the region.
The Manipur saga is one of heartbreak and intense anguish, which is rare, irrespective of the potency of provocation from one section or the other. Human actions and reactions there have been burdened with intense hostility and hatred, demeaning basic human instincts and values at times. While we pray and hope that sanity and peace return soon in the strife torn sister State, it is also true that if lines of honest communication between communities and different religious groups were open during peace times, the scope for reconciliation could have probably been much higher.
It is also imperative that all of us in Meghalaya have to be extra careful and vigilant about external forces, which may be out to destabilize the prevailing general peace and calm in our State. We believe that such forces have no home, base or stake in our State except to cause disruptions and create social strife. These fissiparous forces follow the concept of “hit and run” and create fissures along socio-religious lines. It is important not to be influenced or fall in the trap of provocation by such divisive forces, with origins from within or outside the country.
The religion of humanity is sublime and needs to be honed and cultivated among all, more so, during peace times. The religious and faith-based institutions will also have to articulate their views on all emerging issues affecting the common citizens, concerning drug abuse and corruption; unemployment and growing poverty; environment degradation and social discord; livelihood to welfare of the general people; political propriety and good governance; quality education and health care et al with conviction, to reach all corners of our State. The trust and confidence of common people in a religious institution is immense. The voice of such institutions reaches the furthest and hence the message of cultivating love, peace and unity among all sections has to be loud and clear.