TRULY GOD'S OWN COUNTRY!

TRULY GODS OWN COUNTRY..
“Heaven on earth”, “beautiful”, “magnificent” are the terms one gets to hear whenever there is a mention of Kerala. I always wanted to explore this part of the country which boasts of exceptional landscapes and picturesque surroundings. May it be the long standing coconut trees or the aromatic tea gardens; Kerala has a very distinct demography and a rich culture too. So when I got the opportunity to actually visit this place I jumped at it without even thinking twice. We set out for this abode as a field trip and were ready for all the unexpected surprises that were going to come our way. A bunch of 70 crazy people, two buses and the passion to discover something we would not forget for the rest of our lives.
Our first destination was Cochin, the city on the coasts of kerala. Because it was a field trip going to a industry was a necessity hence we went to the Malyalam Manorama office and the printing press. It was a good learning experience. The next day we left our hotel to go to Kottayam, another beautiful town southwards. Coming to kerala and not cruising the backwaters would be foolish, so we set out to soak ourselves in the sun and let the boat take us through the waters of Kerala in Allepy. . We spent good three hours enjoying the journey and observing the lifestyle of the people there. Their lives seemed full of contentment, away from the city lights, pollution and adultery. They loved their coconut trees and their paddy fields. There houses were humble, warm and welcoming.
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RELIGION - SPREAD BY WORDS OR 'S'WORDS?

An angry mob of hundreds marching with pride to kill their brothers, a pregnant woman begging for her unborn child's life, girls being raped at every corner of the road and a child being harrassed because he is either a hindu or a muslim. This was the scene during the Gujarat riots or maybe it was even worse. Gory images of destruction cross my mind everytime I sit to write about this issue. My blood boils everytime I see a movie based on this episode. I have always been a non-believer in religion and day by day I find my belief going stronger. Religion is the language of God. It is His way of communication. But time and again we have often misinterpreted it for our selfish motives.

Recently I saw this film called 'PARZANIA', which has made my disgust against religious fanaticism even more relevant and just. The movie is about a Parsi family who lose their 10 year old son during the riots and it describes their search for him in these times of trials and tribulations. These people were innocent but still they faced the brunt of this religious outcry. They obeyed the ALLAH, RAM, JESUS and also the MAZDA equally, yet thier throats were cut and thier failies were butchered. Not to forget the other attrocities that were committed for which I have no courage to even write or type.

" Life moves on", yes it does, but at the cost of burnt photographs and burnt memories . These reminiscences still haunt them every time the darkness of a riot breaks on them. It has scorched not only their lives but also thier souls, souls that believed in God and were as pure as God Himself. Let us all pledge to bring back peace and stop encouraging religious fundamentalism. Let us understand religion in our own sense and terms instead of propogating it as something to be more superior than other's beliefs. Thus as the cliched line goes, " lets make this earth a better place to live in" can we?