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St. Mary's Convent High school, Mapusa is staging a play titled "Lion King"
December 1, 2007 - Hanuman Hall, Mapusa
to fundraise for a false ceiling for the school hall
& upgrading the school playground
Headmistress Sr. Namika A.C. / Teacher Mrs. Sonia Noronha
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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MONDAY MUSE (26 Nov '07)
IN THE NAME OF GOD
Two films on the contemporary religious divide were screened at the
International Film Festival of India, being held in Goa. The Urdu film, “Khuda
kay liye” (in the name of God) tackles the contemporary subject of the inhuman
acts done in the name of God. It is a story of the predicament of a modern
liberal Pakistani family which bears the brunt of the communal dimensions of
two different religions.
The movie is about two musician brothers – one of who gets sucked into the
regressive world of religious extremism; while the other is brutalised by the
racial profiling in the USA. It also handles other issues like the theological
issues, suppression of women and the cultural contextualization of Islam. The
last scene has a liberal and a radical competing for the Azaan. The contest for
who speaks for Islam has begun!
The second film “Dharma” captures the use of religion to propagate hatred first
within the Hindu community against the Dalits and eventually to unleash
violence against the other religion. It is about a Pundit - a revered authority
on the scriptures - who unwittingly adopts a Muslim baby, thinking him to be a
Brahmin. When confronted with reality, he undergoes severe penance. But, he is
liberated of his pain only when he finds that love for humanity is the real
Dharma! And thus is born his courage to halt the violent rioters!
But the main learning is about the way, various groups are propagating
different versions of their religions and the politics of hate. We grow up to
learn that the underlying principle of all religions is love for humanity.
However, the fact remains that the overriding dimension of religion ranges from
suspicion for the other faiths to a violent war with them. In the name of God,
the most heinous of crimes are being wrought and justified. Religions speaking
about brotherhood and love for mankind are at war with each other.
It is not enough for a faith to be tolerant towards the other. We need to sift
the grain (perception) from the chaff (prejudice) first in our own minds. The
various dimensions of the philosophy of religions which clash with its practice
need to be understood. The vengeful mask of religious identity can be allowed
to mask our sense of perspective. In the name of mankind, we need to unlearn
our prejudices and “develop new dimensions” of empathy, peace and social
justice.
In the name of God, hate propels inflammatory actions,
In the name of mankind, let’s ‘develop new dimensions’!
--- Pravin
26 November 2007, Goa.
A life coach with a passion to connect people to their potential, Pravin Sabnis
conducts unlearning unlimited workshops for leading corporate and other groups.
The Monday Muse series (since 2004) is dedicated to the annual theme of
JCI-India.
Pravin K. Sabnis
visit: www.unlearningunlimited .blogspot.com
www.poems-pravinsabnis.blogspot.com
www.monday-muse.blogspot.com
Flying to Bangalore or Bhopal? Search for tickets at
http://in.farechase.yahoo.com
