'Harmony is not just the absence of hostility'

A verdict on the title claims to the disputed site at Ayodhya by the Wakf Board and the Hindu Dharam Sansad is set to be issued by the Allahabad high court.  A civil suit filed by a mahant claiming title to the land was dismissed in 1885. The dispute thus has a legal history of over 100 years. Yet, there is much anxiety as the high court verdict is about to be pronounced in the longest-running legal battle in India.

The Centre issued advertisements in  newspapers, urging people to accept the verdict of the high court in the right spirit, and adding that the possibility of further appeal was still open. Rajeev Gowda, chairperson of the Centre for Public Policy of the Indian Institute of Management and member of the Congress party, speaking to DNA, underlines the need for restraint ahead of the hearing of the delay petition in the Supreme Court today.

What would you counsel Bangaloreans to do, in view of the Ayodhya verdict?
People should treat the verdict with respect. We should honour whatever verdict is pronounced. It is important that people do not fall for rumours, as these could foment communal trouble.
What could we do to maintain and promote communal harmony?
In the normal course, people of different faiths mingle in an affectionate manner. Communal harmony does not mean merely the absence of hostility. People should make concerted efforts to better understand other faiths and live in harmony. Celebrating each others festivals, actively taking part in activities that create greater convergence across religious divides — all that is important in a country like ours.

How do you think we could have greater harmony?
There must be openness among people, a greater willingness to accept difference and embrace neighbours and friends whose faith might be different.

We need to create platforms where work and play can be combined, and people of different religious persuasions can be brought together. The secular state should promote such intermingling. Only then will the country be richer in what is often called ‘social capital’.

Would you envisage a role for the youth in promoting communal harmony?
We must make sure that the youth grow up with an open mind, without irrational prejudices. Projects, dramas, community services and other activities can promote greater knowledge of others, and bring people together, across barriers of caste, region or religion. I work with youth as well as with older people to promote communal peace.