# Secularism-- I learnt at Hostel
10:44 PM
“Hey, Menka what were you doing late night sitting on your bed all covered by bed sheet.” I asked her as she frightened me last night when I woke up to have water, I saw her sitting on bed wrapping sheet around her.
“Not late night, early morning. I was doing my prayers.” She answered sniggering.
“Prayers? What kind of scary prayers are these? Are you following any Tantrik?” I giggled.
“Don’t say like this. I was worshipping my Guru Mantra. We do prayers like this only at 4 am daily, without a miss.” She became serious.
“Hey, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Everybody have different believes and different way of worship.” I needed to show my faith in Indian constitution which believes in secularism.
“Whatever it is but I don’t believe in following someone blindly. What is these Guruji funda? Praying God is good but praying these Guruji?” Amrit jumped into discussion and convert it to an argument.
Saying something against a follower is bearable but against the Guruji, a big No.
“You guys loves to have chicken, beer but avoid smoking! What is the Logic behind it? If you can follow your holy book like anything we can follow our Guruji’s words. At least he is not teaching to choose among bad choices but to avoid all bad things.” Menka was in real anger.
“I don’t think Geeta ask to do prayers at odd timings and not to share food or even water for that sake with your friends even.” Amrit was throwing an umbrella to Menka. She used to hate this non-sharing pact of Menka.
As Menka used to avoid sharing spoons when we eat or even water as she believe sharing of food is like sharing of Karma & thoughts. Your heart will be like that of a person with whom you have shared food/water as said “Jaisa khaoge ann, waisa banega mann”.
“I cannot share food with one who eats eggs, chicken. I am staying here for my education but that cannot force me to change my believes. I have never asked you to stop eating eggs and so you cannot ask me to start sharing.” Menka understood Amrit’s point and replied to her.
“See, I think we are behaving argumentative. Either we should change the topic looking for the sensitivity or we better discuss it with a cool mind.” I again tried to cool the matter.
“This topic needs discussion as every time we start and leave the topic in between. Same arguments, I cannot handle anymore.” Menka said.
“I don’t believe in offering fruits, money or even milk on Shiv Lingum or any other God as I found it wastage of resources. It’s better to fed someone than to drain the milk, money we offer hardly reaches to house of God but to the house of Pujari for sure. Even God will be happy if we help some poor or needed people than to some well off Pujari. I understand, we all have different believes and we pray different forms of God but being young educated people we must look for logic in everything we do at least if not others.” Amrit said and even I was convinced. At heart, even I did not like when Menka did not allow us to share eatables but I never argue not to hurt her feelings and ignite a useless discussion. But this time, I was already into it.
“I agree to you Amrit to an extent if not completely, but we cannot teach everyone. Yes, we can start from our self; even I don’t like people offering prashad at God's idols as the same lies below our foot which could have been in someone’s mouth. People are following blindly others as they said it all depends on believe and some groups are taking even advantage of honest believe of common people.”
“Are you talking about Radha Swami ji taking advantage of people?” Menka took my statement quite personally.
“No, not at all dear, we are having general discussion. We all are free to do whatever we want. We three in particular are worshipping different Gods here in different mode. At heart, we three know that God is only one and He is away from shape, this photo frame, that book, dhoop, Prashad and even our mode of prayers. He never says not to eat egg or non-vegetarian, not to have water from same bottle or even to visit his temple frequently. He lies in us, he only asks us to do our duties with best effort and pure heart.” I just tried to make things clear as I was tired of these endless discussions.
“I agree, but I cannot change my rules in minutes all because of you guys.” She concluded the talk.
“We are not asking you to change. You don’t need to start sharing or leaving your early morning prayers. Not even Amrit need to stop having Omelet but we all need to respect each other’s feeling. We could not learn this anywhere but here in hostel where we are living with friends who are different from us in culture, believes, habits and thoughts.” I tried to make it a note to myself too.
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