Today the term religion has to
be used so cautiously because many people spread hatred in the name of religion,
forgetting that the basic essence of every religion is love. I am not an
authority on religious matters and I do not wish to preach about religion here,
but simply sharing some of my experiences on religious tolerance with you.
When I decided to come to
Nagaland, one of my well wishers told “You are going to a 100 % Christian state
and you must always carry a Cross with you or else you would not be able to
stay there. Nagas are dangerous people and do not take unnecessary risks”. His advice
really made me frightened but I decided to proceed without the Cross. Before
narrating my religious experiences in Nagalnad, I would like to share my views
on religion with you.
I am a Hindu by birth and my
religious views since childhood is very simple “All religions lead to the same
destination”. In my native village in Tamilnadu, most of my neighbours are
Christians and I used to visit Church with my friends without any reservation. During Christmas times the Pastor and few
other members of the Church would visit my house and pray for us. My family has
been accepting the goodwill as a privilege and never felt it as an intrusion in
our religious freedom. Till today, religion has never stood as an obstacle in
my personal and professional life.
I have also come across few
people who feel that God has entrusted them with the task of Conversion by
inducement. My performance in the B.Sc. degree examination was not very good
and I had a tough time in getting admission to M.Sc. course. One gentleman of
the above mentioned category approached me with the offer of a seat in a
college in return for my taking Baptism in church. He was also kind to explain
the shortcomings of my religion. I just smiled and told him, “My mother may not
be beautiful in your eyes but she is my mother. How could I relinquish her
because you feel that your mother is more beautiful than my mother?”
I have completed more than 20
years of life in Nagaland and interacted with people from different walks of
life. Sometimes people use to ask me “Are you a Christian?” when I say “No, I
am a Hindu”, the religious issue comes to an end then and there. I have worked
in close association with many officers who are more religious and committed
Christians. But they never tried to impose their religious views on me.
I really wonder what made
people from other parts of the country to come to the conclusion that Nagas
have the least religious tolerance. With my own experience I would honestly say
that people of different religious faith enjoy more freedom in Nagaland
compared to many other parts of our country. Most of the mainland Indians still
have misconceptions about people of North East and it is unfortunate that the good
qualities of Naga People are not highlighted well enough in the national media.
