Chanting Jai Sriram or Jai Hanuman is Personal Choice, Oneness Comes from Diversity – Dr Kanhaiya
Mangaluru: During the Birth Centenary of B V Kakkilaya programme at Bishop Jathanna Hall Balmatta, one of the attendees asked the following question, “We are emotional people. We have one mother and one father and what we believe is one. We come from a students background. Why don’t you stand for one nation? Why don’t you represent one India and one policy for the entire country? Independence day is nearing, why don’t you say Jai Sri Ram?
Answering the question, Dr Kanhaiya said, “My father married my mother and I was born through both of them. It is not possible to be born from one person. You also asked why I don’t believe in one nation. I would like to tell you that India is one nation and it will remain as one nation. At the same time, I need to clarify that there is a constitution which represents India and that constitution has more than 300 articles. There is a Parliament consisting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha representing the nation, it has 545 elected members and is not run by one man. Oneness actually comes through diversity. You have the freedom to say Jai Sri Ram or Jai Hanuman because the constitution has given us that right.”
Dr Kanhaiya further said, “My birthplace is Begusarai which is in Mithila. In our village, everyone celebrates Vivah Panchami, celebrating the wedding of Rama and Sita. Mithila is the birthplace of Sita. Every year, youth from Ayodhya come to Mithila wearing Lord Rama’s attire, while those of us from Mithila represent the girl’s side. In Mithila, it is our tradition to welcome the boys from Ayodhya by criticizing Rama and making fun of him; this has been our tradition since I was born in Begusarai district. We even offer prayers to Rama and Sita, Radha and Krishna and not one God. If you have any plans to do a PhD, then I suggest you do a PhD on the Ramayan as there are more than 300 Ramayanas written which are different from each other.”
Dr. Kanhaiya also said, “Once I went to the Himalayas where there is the Trilokinath Temple which is the only temple in Lahul valley in Shiker Style. Lord Buddha sits on the head of Trilokinath. The uniqueness of the temple lies in the fact that it is the only temple in the whole world where both Hindu and Buddhists pay their reverence to the same deity. You have to travel to such places to see the beauty of these places. In Lahore, there is a Ramayan which states that Sita was not kidnapped by Ravan but was the daughter of Ravan. Ram loved Sita and married her which led to the war between Ram and Ravan. It is a pride to be born in this country; if you go to the Himalayas, you will feel that you are in Switzerland. If you visit the Mangaluru or Goa beaches, you will feel that you are in Miami Beach. Ours is a beautiful country. Your mother is yours and it is your personal life to love your mother. If anyone comes with a colourful flag shouting Jai Sriram or Inqilab Zindabad and ask you to show “How you love your Mother”, what will be your answer? I love my country and my love for my country is not an object to be exhibited. I carry my love for my country in my heart wherever I go.”