It was interesting to watch the sun rise in Umred; appearing from behind two different structures, with different coloured flags – orange or saffron on a Hindu temple and green on the Muslim religious place. The white wall in the picture (in my mind signifies peace) uniting the two, very much like the flag of India.
Just to be clear, know that Hinduism and Islam are not the only two religions in India. The country takes pride in calling itself “secular” where people of many different religions and faiths reside.
“Secular” in my book, is providing equal rights and opportunities to everyone irrespective of the belief, faith, religion or lack of it. And, at the risk of sounding politically incorrect – I get the feeling that the reservations, quotas or simply put – privileges eat up a bit of the “equal rights & opportunities” part. Let me also quickly insert that I probably do not fully comprehend the complexities involved to make up my mind, for or against providing reservations/privileges to a few sections of the society.
This picture is just a reminder of how the Universe is truly the unbiased and the secular one. Because, when the sun shines, it shines for everyone. And fortunately or unfortunately none of us get any special privileges based on what or who we believe in.
