Finally the verdict is out! The land belongs to Hindus. But I would like to ask, who actually owned the land? Since time from the beginning, we human beings have taken it onto ourselves to divide everything – the land, the sea, the forests…in the process ending in disputes when there is a disagreement on the portion of the land or its ownership. And mind you, these disputes can get extremely dirty in situations, eventually leading to the loss of several innocent lives.

And here the land in question has religious connotations attached to it, hence making the situation even more critical. What is religion, I would like to ask?  

Religion is something that enables us to gain immeasurable courage and hope to traverse through the rigours of our daily lives. Religion teaches us to rise above the fundamental darkness that exists within us like anger, envy, pride, ego. Religion teaches us to build an indomitable spirit that empowers us to stay undefeated even in the most trying circumstances.  But most importantly religion teaches us not to begrudge people as our happiness invariably lies in the happiness of others. Thus religion teaches us to unconditionally embrace one another, along with their good and bad qualities. Because the truth is that we are all human beings, born on this earth with unique purposes, and the potential that resides within one equally resides in other. All human beings are in that sense one and each one deserves immense respect and dignity.

Now I wonder if this piece of land has the power to convey and establish all these values and thoughts in people. Irrespective of who the land belonged to or belongs to, there has been a huge flow of bad blood, which is against the principles of any religion.

So, what could have been or can be the way forward? Put the land to best use. Nothing can be nobler or more religious than serving humanity.  Build schools, hospitals, orphanages, old age homes, foster homes, homes or animals and birds; or anything.  Let it be a land, where humans can walk in without being asked which religion, caste or creed they belonged to. Let it be a land where discrimination is torn apart and equality is given all the importance. Let it be a land that is empowered to instil humanistic values in each one. This actually will be an act of religion in the true sense.