The Ayodhya Decision

Yesterday, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court gave its decision on the ill-famous Ayodhya case. It was a long drawn case, and certainly no judge would expect a case like this in his or her career. The whole country was tense yesterday, but did any one ever tried to know what was going on in the heads and hearts of the three judges? Their decision was likely to cause hell. It did not. And that probably was the greatest relief to all.
I was coming home from my College at around 4.30 pm and I was shocked. I have been witness to assassinations of both Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. I have been witness to many communal riots during my student life in Bihar. Even curfews were imposed. But yesterday it was different. It was self proclaimed curfew by the people. The railway station, the bus stand and the roads were deserted. Shops were closed. And on roads were only those who could not reach home. All the faces were tense.
I have heard the cliched term : Tense but under control. Yesterday, there was no tension, only fear, and the fear of unknown. Chhattisgarh is a peaceful state, much more peaceful than Bihar. Still there was fear. What might be going on in Bihar or UP?
And who created the fear? All those who have earned bread from the Ayodhya dispute. The central government first came up with the public appeal, "to maintain peace and not to be swayed by rumours". Neither there were rumours nor rumour mongers. Then there were the parties to, and beneficiaries of, the dispute who claimed they would accept the verdict. I remembered a film dialogue in which the Captain of a crashing aircraft shouts "Don't panic! Don't panic!" And a passenger assures him that there was no crash on sight and that he was creating panic!
The best thing that happened was, at least a decision was taken, howsoever that may or may not please someone. And that is natural. In any litigation, ultimately one party shall remain aggrieved. As they say, even God cannot please everyone. The other good thing was that no unwanted reaction was reported from any part of the country.
Probably it proves many thing. The country has come a long way from the days where a riot could be instigated on a, literally, drop of a hat. Second, people have come to realise that the litigation was between some litigants and not a war between two communities. And above all, and may be I am wrong, common today realises that a tample or a mosque can not earn him or her a bread. There are far more important engagements than fighting for a religious place.
At this juncture I recall a couplet by an unknown poet from Sagar (Madhya Pradesh) quoted by Bashir Badr. "bachcha bola dekh ke, masjid alishan; Allah! tere ek ko itna bara makan?" And in this litighation, see who was the litigant 'Ramlala virajman'himself!
I had sent an sms to many of my friends yesterday: "Puri quaynat jiski hai, ye brhmand jiska hai, wo plot aur makan ke jhagde me uljhega? Ye ladai kisi aur ki hai." (HE who owns the whole universe, will indulge in litigations involving a housing plot or a house? This is the fight of other people."