Silence can sometimes be a win-win situation

This paper carried a heart warming report of a community in Ulhasnagar which has switched to wearing headphones for bhajans. The report detailed how Ulhasnagar residents used to be disturbed during 43 days at this time of the year, jarred out of their sleep by the sound of bhajans blaring from loudspeakers.

This year, organisers of a Trust which used to hold the bhajan-kirtan meet took into account the residents' woes and have provided every person attending the meet a pair of headphones on which to listen to the bhajans.

The Trust says they are handing out headphones gratis to the almost 15,000 devotees that congregate at a maidan in the locality. These are to be returned daily. This is the correct response by organisers of a religious Trust. We must respect the sentiments of the larger populace and think of implementing a solution that works for all. It is a win-win situation for everybody.

It is a stellar example of how to co-exist and not be whipped into a frenzy of umbrage and outrage when there is any kind of question raised over an issue with a religious aspect. Troublemakers often try to stir the communal pot; because it is easy to rile people claiming somebody is disrespecting a religion or shouting about discrimination. Logic then goes out of the window and people's minds become like putty, amenable to manipulation.

This is exactly what politicians at all levels, designed to create and benefit from rifts do. What we can do is look through these attempts, and simply blow them away. Respect the other, and see reason in their demands if they warrant it. Like this Trust and its devotees have done. There is strength in silence and in this case, it is the strength of unity and oneness.

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