I have spoken with domestic help, autorickshaw drivers and chaiwallas who will endorse what the Upanishads reiterate, that there is only one God, called by many different names. Because it is undoubtedly the broadest, most inclusive and deepest understanding of life.Each time, the newspapers splash the news of one more atrocity that makes us want to cringe, can we remind ourselves of who we are? And more, can we be that? Can we go to a place of worship other than ours and partake of the ceremony? Can we free ourselves of the prejudices that arise in our own minds? Can we free ourselves of our dangerous tendency to generalise about all members of a community? Can we expand our thinking and allow others to be who they are — to have their own points of view, their own name for God, to love who they choose to, eat what they want?EnlightenmentThe essential philosophy of this land emphasises acceptance of differences. Is that something to fight about?This is the truth that is responsible for the sustenance of this 5000-year-old philosophy. It is this that makes us celebrate Christmas, Diwali or Id, regardless of community and religion.The more diverse a culture, the richer it is.It is this that determines our true identity. It is the same with the British.There is only one God, called by different names. This is who we truly are. We may speak English, avail of the many inventions they gave us, but at heart, we still remain Indians. The diversity of our culture, rituals, languages and cuisines, has few parallels in the world, and that comes from our innate capacity to accept differences.
The killing of Gauri Lankesh, the banning of beef, the murder of young people whose only crime was to love each other, does not define us. The Moghuls came and the Moghuls went, leaving the country’s syncretic nature much richer, but unchanged in its essence. At its core lies this simple truth, quoted in as many as 100 Upanishad texts: Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadant: That which exists is one.We have all been given a free will by the Creator. I am a huge lover of Hindu philosophy.Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif celebrate ChristmasThere is one God, and the One is christmas lights Suppliers called Ishwar, Allah, Christ, Zaruthustra, Krishna, Kali, Shiva and Lakshmi. In a year where intolerance has exploded into a Molotov cocktail across the land, it is important that we remember this. Visit the US and you will notice that everywhere you will come across the same kind of shops, the same kind of food, the same kind of clothes, the same language, the same dominant religion. Mono cultures and religions are boring. By accepting their truths without surrendering ours, by recognising that all truths are valid, our culture continues to flourish. Who are we to trample on the free will of others?— The writer is former editor-in-chief of Life Positive magazine and founder, facilitator of the Zen of Good Writing Course. Do we want to become like that?We can only be the best version of ourselves if we allow others their freedom to be. We should not allow it to. This is US. It is this that makes the average Indian worship Mother Mary, Shirdi Sai Baba, the Buddha, and a host of other deities in his altar. By bending, we prevented ourselves from breaking.Mohammad Kaif celebrating Christmas with his familySpiritual freedom flourishes in this land to an extent that most other countries practising monotheism cannot even comprehend..
The sages call it by many names. The killing of Gauri Lankesh, the banning of beef, the murder of young people whose only crime was to love each other, does not define us. This is US. Despite the many disparities, India has still not fractured into a million pieces, because of our innate tolerance. The concept of ishta devta (one’s favourite deity) often means that in the same family a lover of Shiva will live harmoniously with a lover of the Devi or Sai Baba or even Christ.We should not allow it toA confession. That is all there is to it.I believe this is who we truly are. All of us, in this vast and wonderful world, are looking for God, and when we find the One, we call Her by the name that rises up for us. And hello, it also enables us to reach out to Halloween and Valentine’s Day, and make it ours.
Linhai Noshado Industrial and Trading